Technically the earth produces enough food for everyone, but the food is not able to reach those who need food. University of California study found that “relatively small, and potentially overestimated, differences in yield between organic and conventional agriculture, despite historically low rates of investment in organic cropping systems. (Berkeley)” Organic agriculture has increased biodiversity. There is an ambition that agriculture can help feed the world and will help maintain soil (Berkeley). A student at Berkeley says, “Increasing that proportion of agriculture that uses sustainable, organic methods of farming is not a choice, it’s a necessity (Kreman).”
There are some things that are bad about organic farming. Three-quarters of what American farmers produce actually goes to feeding our animals, making ethanol, and not the hungry (Morello). Organic farming could produce 40% more food if used in other countries. Organic Farming will produce higher yields such as rice, corn, and wheat. It actually does better than modern agriculture techniques. In countries such as India, Brazil, Kenya, and Guatemala have doubled, almost tripled their yield by using organic farming, mostly because those countries can’t afford or access fertilizer (Morello). Like it was said that some countries can’t afford the fertilizer and pesticides. If agriculture was switched to organic it would be cheaper which could give an economic advantage.
Organic Farming can improve soil fertility and
Organic farming is farming without the use of growth hormones or genetically altering the growth of the food. Organic farming is a great alternative to the way the meat industry is ran now. Many large corporations, like Stonyfield Farm, are broadening the horizons on organic foods. Organic foods may take longer to produce, but it will be a very good exchange for health over time. Without the food being genetically altered, it will be rid of the nasty E. coli which has stricken the nation so often. Stonyfield Farms are even getting places like Wal-Mart to carry organic foods in their stores, which is a big step, Wal-Mart is thought of as one of the low grocery places, somewhere that the cheap people get their food. But, with this new movement, it could change the face of organic food, and the way we think of supermarkets. Organic farming is a step the industry must take to improve health
The sooner the world realizes that organic farming has many for effects on a variety of different categories other than just how the foods are simply healthier for us, the easier organic farms will become the more common form of farming. Overall, organic farms have an extraordinary amount of benefits for many animals total health and treatment. They can easily be classified as a higher quality farming than industrial
After learning about the statistics of how much agriculture consumes our planet, I was appalled to see how destructive it is. Jonathan Foley put into perspective the increase and rapid demand for food. Agriculture alone consumes 40% of our land surface, 70% of our irrigation system, and
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
Traits of organic food can also be misconstrued in the sense of the ingredients and how it is different from the way processed food is produced. “In reality, certified organics have lower levels of chemical residue, Roethal argues, which is positive for consumers, farm workers and the land itself, but organic growing practices have no impact on how many nutrients, calories or grams of fat are in anyone's favorite foods”(SFGate). As mentioned previously in the quote, often times organic food can benefits one’s health because of the little amount in which chemicals and calories are in the substance. The concern about organic food is that it is substantially more expensive than non-organic food. However,“Organic food sales are increasing by double digits annually, and more than 80 percent of parents reported buying organic food for their families last year”, according to Batch. With the high-price of organic food, this could also be a reason on why people tend to lean more towards the less healthier items, all because of the low cost. Even though there are different and confusing standards on what organic really is, the ideal description would typically be foods that do not have the same producing process as non-organic food.
Part 3 Pros – Organic foods is good for nature. According to big oven.com, organic farms produce less waste and use less energy compared to inorganic farms. Synthetic pesticides that are used in conventional food can harm local wildlife. Organic farms make sure that their animals are fed a natural diet and kept in “free- range conditions”.
Many support agricultural modernization, as a solution Africa’s, and many other impoverished nations hunger problems. This would include the industrialization of their agricultural industry, using modern, genetically enhanced seeds, and fertilizer. Yet, some of the same groups that are promoting the organic movement in the United States are advocating against the globalization of modern industrial agricultural practices (Paarlberg 179). Those who support modernization of such nations argue that the current process in inefficient, and inadequate. They believe that globalization of the highly capitalized, science-intensive, agricultural system that has been developed in the West, is the answer to the worlds hunger problems. They also warn that if the West abandons its current practices, it may fall victim to famine due to inadequate production (Paarlberg 179). However, supporters of organic production point to the fact that each year, approximately ten million tons of chemical fertilizer are poured onto our corn
Another economic factor in organic farming, in general, is that organic food is typically more expensive that its non-organic counterpart. This observation goes along with both large and small organic farms. When people go shopping, they often look for the cheapest item. Since
Organic foods are those which are grown without hormones, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Organic farming does have its advantages. It conserves water and soil resources, recycles animal waste, releases fewer chemicals, improves soil fertility, promotes diversity of crops, and protects farm workers, livestock, and wildlife from potentially harmful pesticides (AG). Are organic foods safer than conventional foods though? After all, they do claim to be better for consumers, which is a tactic to be avoided (Pollan). Not only can organic foods be contaminated with bacteria and synthetic pesticides, they are also more expensive than
With an increasing global population, GM technology seems to be a final solution. The world’s population is climbing up to 9.5 billion by 2050, and it will endlessly raise to 11 billion by 2100 (CheatSheet.com). However, do we need GM technology to feed the world? In fact, what creates the world hunger is the tilted distribution, but not the total food supply (WorldHunger.org). In the United States, there are no less than 67% of adults that are obese in 2014 (Food Research & Action Center). Furthermore, “133 billion pounds of food was lost in 2010 — that's 31 percent of the total food supply. And it was worth about $161.6 billion” (npr.org). The same situation is happening in Europe as well. In 2012, the total food waste reached 100 million tons, and the food waste in 2020 is expected to be 120 million tons (European Commission). This automatically implies the real problem of the world hunger: the distribution. A research from University of California Berkeley concludes that the independent farmers can be influential on the world hunger issue. It explains, “When organic farmers utilized certain diversification methods, the yield gap between organic and conventional producers essentially vanished, proving what organic food devotees the world over already suspected — that organic food can help to feed the world” (Cheatsheet.org). It is true that applying GM technology increases food supply, but this
Organic farming is becoming an increasingly popular market throughout the world. (Adam, 2004, p. 666). The aims of organic farming are, to decrease pollution, maintain soil fertility and biodiversity, be more sustainable, and have increased nutritional benefits than conventionally grown foods (Yaping et. al., 2003, p. 298). While the aim of conventional farming is to provide safe, proficient supplies of food, in abundance and at low prices (Trewavas, 2001, p.409). Since 1996, the amount of land in the UK dedicated to organic farming has risen tenfold (Adam, 2004, p. 666). As well, from 1992 to 1997, the amount of certified organic cropland in the US more than doubled (Tafel et al, 2007, p.182 ). The main difference between organic and
The “problem statement” to these three articles is to see if organic farming is capable of sustaining the global population by weighing the pros and cons of organic vs conventional farming.
There are many evidences exist that due to conversion of conventional to organic farming, producers have received better yield, on the contrary, many reviewed findings show that in conversion period, farmers have gained lower yield. Many researchers’ evidences have also revealed that, in the long term, organic farming system may work to enhance agricultural productivity (Hoque, 2012). For instance, in many developing countries, significant amount of yield rises in crops and fruits in terms of organic farming projects. These achievements are varied with soil fertility management procedures such as proper composting, green manure, cover crops, legumes culture, crop rotation, organic fertilizer application and other soil conservation practices (Zundel and Kilcher, 2007).
Hamer and Anslow state 10 arguments on why organic farming can feed the world. The first argument they make is that organic farming yields exceed those of conventional farming. It has greater yields in less-industrialized countries, which “in an analysis of more than 286 organic conversions in 57 [less-industrialized] countries, the average yield increase was found to be an impressive 64 percent” (71). In industrialized countries like the United States, the University of Essex
Organic agriculture is the oldest type of agriculture there is. Many people don't know exactly what has to be done to say that you are farming organically, these days. Organic Agriculture has been increasing in size over the past few years as more people worry about what they are eating. Many people donít know what it exactly means to be farming organically.