Organic farming is a set of agricultural practices that focus on growing food through natural ecosystem management instead of synthetic outside inputs.
Although it is often referred to as “alternative farming,” organic farming is actually a more traditional form of agriculture than much of modern-day farming. Learn more about the defining features of organic farming, how it’s practiced, and what it means to be “certified organic.”
What Is Organic Farming?
There is no universally accepted definition of organic farming, but most major agricultural organizations consider it to be a specific production system that aims to avoid the use of synthetic and harmful pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives.
How Organic Farming Works
Almost all organic farming systems rely on what some call alternative farming methods, such as crop rotation, mechanical cultivation, animal manures, green manure, and integrated pest management to maintain healthy soil, grow healthy plants, and control pests and weeds.
Oddly enough, these “alternative” farming methods are older, from a historical perspective, than newer farming methods that include using pesticides and other synthetic farming applications to control growing conditions. These modern methods have largely been built to support the modern-day agricultural system, which is often criticized as being designed to produce massive amounts of food as quickly as possible.
The Benefits and Challenges of Organic Farming
Benefits
- Encourages soil vitality and prevents erosion
- Reduces water pollution
- Mitigates climate change
- Encourages greater biodiversity
- Limits GMO usage
Challenges
- High implementation costs
- Education-intensive
- Inconsistent returns
- Vulnerability to major losses
- Long transition for certification
Benefits Explained
- Encourages soil vitality and prevents erosion: Central to organic farming are practices to encourage soil development, including cover crops, crop rotations, and minimal tilling. These methods strengthen the natural vitality of the soil and help it to remain more compact, minimizing erosion.
- Reduces water pollution: Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are a significant contributor to groundwater pollution. These products are prohibited in organic farming.
- Mitigates climate change: Agrochemical production relies heavily on fossil fuels, and organic farming’s avoidance of these reduces fossil fuel consumption. Organic practices also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping carbon in the soil.
- Encourages greater biodiversity: Organic farming helps to maintain the diversity of biological flora and fauna, pollinators, and pest predators.
- Limits GMO usage: Much is yet to be learned about the impact of using genetically modified ingredients. Organic farming avoids these as a precaution until more information can be collected.
Challenges Explained
- High implementation costs: Although organic farmers avoid the costs of outside inputs, the process of organic farming is labor-intensive and includes many other implementation costs that can be difficult for a farmer to bear.
- Education-intensive: Many organic farming practices are unfamiliar to modern farmers, requiring extensive education to learn proper methods and best practices.
- Inconsistent returns: Because organic farming relies on crop rotation, not all crops bear the same returns for farmers. The mainstream system incentivizes dependence on one or a few crops.
- Vulnerability to major losses: Without reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, farmers may be at risk of losing significant portions of their yield. Education and support is essential to building a sustainable system that produces sufficient yields for farmers.
- Long transition for certification: Crops must be grown on organically farmed land for three years before they can be labeled organic and priced accordingly. This means farmers bear the costs of transition during those three years without being able to charge commensurate prices.
Sustainability and Organic Farming
Sustainability is a term that is often associated with organic farming, but it a distinct concept.
- Meet all human needs for food and fiber
- Improving the environment and strengthening the natural resources that are foundational to our agricultural economy
- Using nonrenewable resources and farm resources efficiently while integrating natural biological cycles and controls wherever possible
- Supporting and maintaining the economic viability of farm operations
- Raising the quality of life for farmers, their families, and society
SOURCE: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-definition-of-organic-farming-2538081
