Advantages And Disadvantages Of Organic Farming

The global population is expected to reach 9 billion people by the year 2050 and scientific projections indicate that world is on a trajectory towards an environmental and global food crisis. World Leaders, environmental enthusiasts and aid agencies have cause for alarm as they support urgent policies for change, for without them mankind will face unprecedented food insecurity. In 2015 estimates were that there were “some 795 million people” [World Food Programme, 2015], experiencing food insecurity and 3.1 million children under 5 died through malnutrition, while Australians continue to waste an estimated 361 Kg’s of food per person per yr [PMSEIC, 2010, p.44] All the while the earth groans under the weight of Greenhouse Gas Emissions [GHG], deforestation, soil degradation and

Times have changed, and so has the family, the community and our environment. And these changes have impacted our lives and earth immeasurably. This is where the factor greed comes in to play, the need for more. This need for more called for extensive measures, measures like fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to work the ground and harvest the crops became necessity. Agriculture became a booming business that did not and still does not promote the well-being of the employee nor the individual let alone the family unit and community. Since 1950 an average farm size has doubled, but the number of laborers decreased substantially and the number of small local farmers has been cut in half. Farmers have been forced to become more efficient and there 's been a reliance on greater chemicals and technology, which has become very extensive and expensive. Sadly, what has been short term expansion has become a long-term threat (Trautmann, 2012). This greed driven increase has led to subtle damaging ramifications that most people are ignorant to. Their needs are being met as quality is being forsaken. Our environment is being squandered. Selfishness abounds.

There are also many risks and disadvantages of agriculture. Whenever these disadvantages come into effect, the consequences could be major. In some cases, things can get as bad as the potato famine. Farmers are always reliant on the crops for their source of food. Many factors could interfere with the production of food such as a natural disaster, weather, soil erosion, and the timing and season when to plant crops. If one factor occurred, it could possibly fatally ruin many of the crops which would make many starve. In agricultural

Nobody denies that the need for more food grows with the global population. Factory farms seem to be a solution to this problem since they produce mass quantities of food for cheap compared to their organic counterparts, which are forty-seven percent more expensive (Consumer Reports). The factory farming business, however, is not the best way to feed more people since it pollutes the environment. The factory

Over the next forty years, global population is expected to reach nine billion people. This increase in population, combined with expected economic growth, will cause an increase in food demanded and inevitably drain the resources we use for food production. So far, agriculture has been able to respond positively to the rising demand for crop and livestock products. However, farmers are already faced with many new challenges associated with feeding an expanding global population. Farmers must now meet strict new emissions requirements and produce more food on fewer acres while minimizing their environmental footprint. The demand for food is expected to grow substantially in the next couple decades. Some of the factors affecting an increase in food demands are population growth, rising incomes of individuals, food supply factors, and biofuels.

The general public sees any type of organic food as being produced “straight out of a backyard garden” or “right off of the family farm”. But is it really freshly picked tomatoes right out of Grandma Mae’s garden or chicken breast from a local farm? If the food purchased is from Whole Foods or the organic section at Walmart, then that probably is not the case. Large organic farms are what usually supply Whole Foods and other larger chain stores that have organics. They are not what people initially think of when imagining the typical organic farm. They usually think of a small plot of land with an old farmhouse, chicken coops, a red barn, and a large pasture of grass. Even though there are still organic farms like that,

As the Earth’s population grows at breakneck pace over the next several decades, who will feed the world’s people? Agriculture has undergone an extensive expansion and transformation throughout the last few centuries, beginning with the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s. New technology allowed for better and greater methods of production. With the development of modern technology, people try to think some way can plant less, get more. Many farmers plant only one crop in the same place year after year. However, those against monocropping claim that it is very hard on the environment and actually less profitable than organic means of farming (“Monoculture Crops – Learn About The Effects Of Monocropping”). In addition, the destructive nature of agriculture has recently shown its hand. While our supermarkets, convenience stores, and restaurants are filled with abundant food options, people forget to ask themselves where all this food comes from. Globalization has opened up economies of scale and has allowed people to tap into different types of products, whether that is food or clothing. But the availability of an increased mass market comes at a cost. However, today, the modern farming techniques have grown into a headache for farmers and governments alike, because they are the consequences of overproduction, industrial waste and other problems arising from the modern methods of agriculture. Thus, modern techniques are harmful to environments, animals, and humans.

Farmworkers will not be able to keep up with the supply and demand of food that will be needed in the future. In Karl Grossman’s article, “Locavore Movement Overlooks Farmworkers,” he describes the way that the locavore movement works. It is a great system, but it will never work out because of the supply and demand that would be needed in order to provide for the population. Within the article he states, “small farms like their factory farms counterparts, are largely staffed by noncitizens, immigrant workers.” Through this statement he shows that even now there is not enough staff to produce food for the seven billion people now, and if there is an extra two billion people on Earth there is no way that the farmworkers could keep up with the supply and demand.

Farming for our food causes many issues. Growing our food is causing a major decrease in finite resources, like fertile soil and water (Clemmitt 555). Fertile soil and water are being wasted on crops that are not successfully growing. The decrease in finite resources is caused by old, non-efficient techniques, like the throw-and-grow (Clemmitt

Jonathan Rauch presents evidence that genetically modified food could potentially provide nutrition to save future generations from starving. Ploughing is the process of turning the soil and land with a plow in order to plant new crops. This ensures that the soil will be fresh for planting, and the weeds and other crops will be broken down. However, ploughing can bring about environmental impacts. Ploughing pollutes rivers, erosion that wears away the land, and greenhouse gases that are released into the air. In his essay, Rauch visits a 200-acre farmland which is called Good Luck Tract. This farm is not a typical one. Instead of having flat land for growing, the land was rolling hills. This ensured that there was no pollution, chemical or soil runoff. Since the land was not ploughed, the soil was able to regenerate back to a healthy ecosystem. Issues of erosion and runoff disappeared because the soil was soaking up most of the water. The ecosystem was thriving again, and insects such as worms were doing the ploughing. At this farm, it wasn’t necessary to plough anymore. This means that they were not wasting fuel on ploughing, which means they were saving money, saving energy, and reducing pollution. If every farm stopped ploughing, or even reduced how much they did, it would make for better growing conditions. In this scenario, the field was dense with wheat. It had almost twice the amount that you could grow in regular conditions. The soil was more rich in organic matter, meaning it was more nourishing to the crops. The pressure to produce more food will continue to grow in the upcoming decades. According to the United Nations, the human population will grow by upwards of 40% in 2050. To account for the increasing populations, food outputs will need to double to account for the number of people who will live on this planet. The elimination of the plough depends on genetically modified crops. Rauch goes on to explain

It is known that industrial farming allows a systematic production of food to feed millions of people. Yet the environmental impacts due to “industrial farming”

As of December 31st, 2014, the population of the United States was estimated to be over 320 million with a net gain of one person every 13 seconds (U.S. Census Bureau). In the year 2011, the world population reached 7 billion and is currently predicted to reach 9 billion by the year 2050 (Monsanto). In order to meet the expected needs of our growing population, agriculture production will need to at least double (Monsanto). Agriculture is essential to everyone’s daily lives. This raises many concerns for agriculturists and for our growing population as a whole. With the population of the United States continuously growing, space is also becoming more limited. Therefore, agriculturists are having to find new, innovative ways to produce

The United States is one of the countries expected to grow at the highest rate (Kochhar). One might think that a simple fix to feeding a growing population would be to produce more food. The answer is not that easy as farm land is rapidly being taken up by urbanization to house people in this population expansion. It is estimated that about 3,000 acres of farmland are lost to development every day in this country (US). This decrease in available farm land has shown a major challenge for famers as they try and feed the world. Therefore, farmers have turned towards new means of production.

Soil is the most important element for agricultural ecosystems. Healthy soil comes with beneficial microbes and insects. Unfortunately, these are often killed off by the abuse of pesticides. Healthy soil can produce strong crops that are less vulnerable to pests. Damaged soils often need strong fertilizers application to produce a high amount of crops. Soil quality can be amplified in many ways, including leaving crop remainders in the field after harvest and adding composted plant material (Union of Concerned Scientists) Compared to industrial agriculture, companies continue to damage and consume natural soil. While intensive plowing and monocrop (does not rotate) agriculture systems have caused nutrient exhaustion and soil erosion. Excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides has contaminated soils and polluted waterways (Grace Communications Foundations)

Normal societies idea about Sustainable agriculture makes sense and the negative facts are kept tidy and pushed under a rug. Sustainability is not wrong, in fact when used in sociology, sustainability is a great thing to be pushing. However, the companies pushing for this growth are using the entire thing as a ploy to push their own agenda. Materialism is the backing for all of the atrocities created by this “Sustainable Agriculture”.