Organic farming is the cultivation of vegetables, grains, and fruits with the help of environment friendly techniques like crop rotation, manure, compost, biological pest control, and cycles adapted to local conditions, and mechanical methods etc. All these help maintain soil productivity. It also involves the production of dairy products, meat, and eggs through organic means like using chemical free fodder, and without using any hormones or synthetic boosters. It strictly excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. Such techniques have a positive impact, and helps sustain the health of the soil, ecosystems, and people. Thus, organic farming promotes good quality life for all man, and reduces the adverse impact of agriculture on nature as well. Unlike conventional methods of non-organic farming, in organic farming the yield is less, and hence the produce is more expensive. However, for a sustainable and toxic free environment it is the ultimate way. To know more read the article given below on how organic farming is different from traditional farming.
Difference Between Organic And Non-Organic Farming
- Organic farming requires more space to produce the same yield as through non-organic farming.
- It includes the design and implementation of an "organic system plan" that describes the process used in producing crops and livestock products.
- Organic farming also involves a detailed recordkeeping system that tracks all products from the field to the point of sale. It also looks into the maintenance of buffer zones to prevent unintended contamination by synthetic farm chemicals from adjacent conventional farming fields.
- It does not use synthetic chemicals. The fertilizers are 100% natural.
- Organic farming makes use of natural biological processes - particularly microbial activity to boost soil fertility, and thus plant nutrition.
- It embraces a multiple crop philosophy, which is known as polyculture.
- It is more labor intensive, and requires greater management expertise, and observation.
- Synthetic fertilizers, weedicides, and pesticides are not allowed. Instead, green manures, compost, herbicides, cover crops, crop rotation, beneficial insects, and birds are made use of.
Advantages Of Organic Farming
- Organic farming is more cost effective. It reduces the production cost by about 25-30%, because it does not involve the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
- It retains 40% more topsoil, thus increasing the crop yield up to five-fold within five years.
- Organic farming is more profitable because it reduces water use, nutrient-contamination by pesticides, and reduced soil erosion.
- It also enables the farmers to use the soil for a longer period of time to grow crops as soil fertility is maintained for a long time.
- Cattle grazing on organic farmlands have been found to be less prone to diseases, and they yield more healthy milk.
- Products or foodstuffs produced from organic farming do not contain any sort of artificial flavors or preservatives.
- Due to the absence of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, the original nutritional content of food is preserved.
- Organic farming also helps reduce the occurrence of many ailments, and speeds the recovery process by boosting the immune system.
Disadvantages Of Organic Farming
- Organic farming results in smaller yields, and is more labor intensive, and time-consuming.
- Organic fertilizers tend to release slowly, and hence may need several applications before the desired results can be brought about.
- Farming the organic way requires deep skill and extensive knowledge.