Organic farming is a very old tradition that started back in the 20th century and the organic agriculture accounts for nearly 70 million hectares globally. Organic farming is done by the use of fertilizers which are natural that is organic in terms of nature such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal. Techniques are also way different then modern farming like crop rotation, companion planting, mixed cropping, and the fostering of insect predators are also encouraged. It relies on the principles of Integrated Pest Management also called IPM to avoid crop damage without the use of pesticides. Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations as per the research and is a part of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). The founder of Organic agriculture, Sir Albert Howard, developed his theory of organic farming while directing agricultural research centers in India and practiced methods of soil conditioning. He was impressed by the composted organic matter and manure which produced excellent quality of vegetables. Based on his studies, he also wrote a book, An Agricultural Testament, which explained the basic theories of organic agriculture throughout the western world.
Recently, every fruit or vegetable is not natural and grown by injecting medicines or pesticides which is not good for health. Hence, a lot of restaurants and families have started adopting organic food which keeps them healthy and away from all the chemicals. There are also portals and websites where you can buy organic vegetables and fruits from and surely people would prefer quality over quantity even if it is a bit expensive. Hence, in this digital era and making the most of it vendors have started supplying organic veggies at your doorstep. Coming to this, let’s designate the benefits and trends of organic farming. Some of the major aspects that make organic products expensive are health and nutritional concerns, superior taste, food and safety concerns, and environmental friendliness. We are very much aware of the farmers’ condition in India, with minimum input and maximum output in organic farming it is also helping them to multiply their profits and earn well.
When it comes to the benefits the major would be environmental benefits if practicing organic farming. Nature and environment are affected the most when it comes to farming. Organic farming is a long term process and changes are to be adopted slowly over the period. Soil building process like crop rotation, inter-cropping, and organic fertilizers helps the soil formation and structure to be more stable. In many agriculture areas, pollution of groundwater courses with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is a major problem and hence the use of it is aborted in organic farming and replaced with organic fertilizers like green manure, compost, and animal manure. Organic farming adds life to your soil and prevents from diversification to a great extent.
Organic agriculture also helps air and climate change in a way and contributes to mitigating the greenhouse effect and global warming. Management practices are used by the culture like an increase in return of carbon to the soil, raising productivity and favoring carbon storage, etc. Researchers revealed that soil organic carbon contents under organic farming are considerably higher. The more organic carbon is retained in the soil, the more the mitigation potential of agriculture against climate change is higher. Biodiversity at all levels is being practiced by organic farmers. The frequent use of under-utilized species reduces erosion of agro-biodiversity creating a healthier farm for future adaptation. With the adaptation, the study and education also increased in organic farming to gain more knowledge about the same.
The impact and benefit of organic farming on natural resources favor interaction within the agro-ecosystem that is vital and helpful for both agricultural production as well as nature conservation. Though it might seem expensive in terms of cost and management this practice will be a boon for future generation and once it is normalized it wouldn’t be that much costlier in coming years. The output of organic farming tends to be much healthier then inorganic production and the level of nutrients are rich in terms of nature which makes the inner body strong. It concludes that people do not have to take multiple vitamins and other supplements that they take to gain nutrients as they do not get it now in inorganic vegetables and fruits. Also, the major plus is that organic farming is also in the budget for farmers to farm and there is no hidden cost to it.
Two years back, 2.9 million organic producers were reported. India continues to be the country with the highest organic producers followed by Uganda and Mexico. The growth record has also increased from 20 percent in this year and 10 percent or more of the farmland is now organic in fourteen countries. Hence, organic farming is focusing mainly on the sustainability and environment-friendly crops in good quality soil. There are also few obstacles when it comes to organic farming which includes high labor-intensive, effective inputs may not always lead to the appropriate quantity and others. So it is a compulsion that farmers have to put their all energy and mind and wait for the best results. But, a shift to organic agriculture can bring a lot of significant changes in agricultural practices such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, farm machinery and better knowledge of biological processes. A recent study also reported that a meta-analysis of 766 scientific papers concluded that organic farming produces more biodiversity than other farming systems. Sufficient food production and environment are major objectives of agriculture at present and major drawbacks are limited land and water resources. Vertical farming and organic farming should be adopted as alternatives to meet the changing demands of modern agriculture and the needs of mankind. Further exploration and integration of scientific knowledge for practicing it would be mandatory. This method to turn a nation into a developing category and fulfilling the needs of humans could be challenged altogether for quality, quantity, and varieties. Innovation can always lead to greater heights if done with utmost dedication and efforts. Things can fall under place if we think about the environment and agriculture as a whole. Why? Because eventually if organic farming is applicable 100 percent there would be so much help to the environment in terms of global warming and majorly we will practice of eating rich nutrient food instead of steroids and medicines to be alive!
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