Vertical Gardens.
IT.
The Benefits of Organic Farming Practices.
With problems such as war, global warming, lack of recycling, and a rising rate of obesity taking their toll on the environment and society, it is important to consider ways to help rather than harm the situation. The commonly known expression that “a little bit goes a long way” really holds true in regards to effort. One of the smallest ways to benefit the environment is to consider organic farming practices when growing and choosing food. Not only is organic farming beneficial to the environment, it is also more favorable when it comes to feeding your family healthy and nutritionally fit fruits and vegetables.
Technically speaking, organic farming is a method of farming that does not use artificial practices such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified seeds and preservatives. By doing this, organic farming avoids possible side effects to the environment and the health of society. Instead, the method utilizes different techniques to maintain and even increase long-term soil quality and prevent pests and diseases. It promotes biodiversity and brings farming back to the basics beyond technology and artificiality.
Specifically, some of the benefits of eating and producing organic food include personal and societal health, the overall well-being of the environment, quality, and taste. Organic foods are free of artificial chemicals that have been proven to be harmful to human health and through using organic farming practices, soil quality is maintained rather than drained of nutrients through constant replanting of the same crops in traditional farming. When soil nutrients are lost in traditional farming, more chemical fertilizers are required to compensate. Organic farming uses crop rotation and “green manure” which maximizes the nutrient and mineral content of soil. Organic farming also helps global warming because the carbon in the soil makes for less avaible carbon for the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Because organically grown plants are naturally nourished, they can be stored longer and have been proven to be of higher quality and more nutritiously beneficial. Organically grown plants are also more tolerant to drought because they are not being restricted by chemical toxicity.
There is a delicate balance that must be maintained in order for organic farming to benefit both the farmers and customers alike. Organically grown food is more expensive than conventionally grown food. Because of this, it is important to remember that for a few extra dollars, one can be spared from ingesting harsh insect repelling chemicals and genetically modified (and potentially modifying) food. However, of the five or so dollars a consumer would pay for a dragonfruit, the farmer only gets around fifty cents. Buying directly from the farmer, like at a local farmer’s market, can not only ensure that the farmer reaps some of the profit, but also guarantee a higher quality product without the bumps and bruises that can result from mass transporting to grocery stores.
Sources
http://www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/1_arguments_for_oa/environmental_benefits/environmental_benefits_main_page.html
http://www.fao.org/organicag/
http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-206
https://www.yelmworms.com/organic-farming/benefits.htm
