Today I would like to examine the many benefits on our environment
from the impacts of organic farming. We have all heard of the benefits for OUR
health- but what about the health of the earth? Does mother nature reap as many
benefits as we do
Sustainability
Organic agriculture looks at the long term effects of decisions and try’s to find solutions to problems in a proactive fashion versus a reactive fashion
Organic agriculture looks at the long term effects of decisions and try’s to find solutions to problems in a proactive fashion versus a reactive fashion
Soil
Organic fertilizers, minimum tillage, crop rotation and crop covers encourage soil fauna and flora, and improve soil formation and structure.
Water
We all know that many of our water systems are polluted- largely with fertilizers and pesticides. Because organic farming methods do not permit these pollutants, they do not add to the water pollution problem like other more conventional methods do.
GMO’s
The four main ways Genetically modified organism effect our environment are:
- Increased weediness from crop to wild relative genetic exchange
- Creation of insect resistant pests
- Impacts to non-target beneficial organisms
- Gene exchange from crop to wild resulting in extinction of rare plants and weedy relatives
Energy
The main reason organic farming uses less energy is due to the fact they do not use nitrogen fertilizer. According to the Rodale Institute, organic farming methods use 30% less fossil fuels then conventional farming. Also, organic soil holds more carbon which reduces carbon dioxide emissions which helps with climate change.
Do you think
Organic produce is worth the extra money?
