According to the Organic Farming Research Foundation, the number of certified organic farms in the United States increased by more than 5 percent over 2013 with annual organic products sales growing to $39 billion. (Organic Farming Research Foundation, 2015). The most common phrase that I have been hearing over the past year is that, “organic food is much healthier and more environmentally friendly.” However, there are both pros and cons in relation to producing organic foods, with some farmers choosing to produce organic food, while the vast majority of others choose to use conventional farming methods. Having been raised in an agricultural based community, I am interested in the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming:
Pros of Organic Farming
- According to the National Rural Ecology Center, when producing organic food farmers are able to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide.
- Farmers use a synthetic fertilizer on their crops that produce fossil fuels into the atmosphere. However, using less fertilizer in organic farming means that fewer fossil fuels are being burned, which is better for our environment (National Rural Ecology Center, 2009).
- Chemical fertilizers such as pesticides, fungicides and herbicides are not being used in organic farming. Chemical fertilizers are a threat to our environment which can harm animals and then chemicals can pollute rivers (National Rural Ecology Center, 2009).
- Organic farming has a positive healthy image with many consumers
- The National Rural Ecology Center believes the public has a bad perception on chemicals being used for the food they eat, “therefore producing organic food can ease the fears of the consumer and increase consumption” (National Rural Ecology Center, 2009).
- Farmers can grow certain foods in an organic way. It is a style of picking and choosing what foods should be organic.
- According to the International Efficient Agriculture Solutions and Standards Association, organic farming reduces soil erosion and uses less water, which is more profitable (2013).
Cons of Organic Farming
- The United Nations environmental program conducted a study on organic farming in 2008, which concluded that farming by organic methods gives small yields when compared to conventional farming methods” (International Efficient Agriculture Solutions and Standards Association, 2013).
- The High cost of organic foods in grocery stores.
- In organic farming, there is no use of pesticides which increases the risk of diseases to that specific crop. For that reason, organic farming is more labor intensive and the cost of organic seed is higher than the cost of a non-organic seed (National Rural Ecology Center, 2009).
- “These costs are passed on to the consumer making organic food more expensive to buy than conventionally produced food” (National Rural Ecology Center, 2009).
- Most consumers are less likely to buy the higher priced food when there is a cheaper option of the same food
- Organic farming uses more land than the normal conventional farming because “chemicals are not used to produce high yield crops.”
- More land= more energy = higher cost
References:
Organic Farming Research Foundation. (15 April, 2015). http://ofrf.org/
National Rural Ecology Center. (2009). http://www.nrec.org.uk/organic-farming/
International Efficient Agriculture Solutions and Standards Association. (5 July, 2013). http://ieassa.org/en/organic-farming-pros-and-cons/
joannagross 