Benefits of Organic Farming
Organic farming refers to a kind of farming where agricultural activity is practiced mainly for maintaining soil fertility and controlling pests as well. In this particular type of farming, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are not used. The final products of organic farming are usually in huge demand by the population.
1. Long term sustainability
Most environmental changes are typically long term and they occur gradually over a long period. Organic farming considers this medium as well as the effect of good agricultural interferences on the ecosystem. The main objective of organic farming is to produce healthy food while creating a vital ecological balance for preventing pest problems and retaining soil fertility. This kind of farming takes a pre-emptive approach rather than treating problems once they have emerged.
2. Highly nutritious products
The nutritional content of food depends on its total mineral and vitamin content. This means that organically produced food is significantly higher in nutritional value as compared to food grown using modern conventional techniques. Since organic farming nurtures soil life, the plant gets access to vital soil nutrients for proper plant development. Healthy products mean healthy individuals, and such nourished plants offer even better sustenance to both people as well as animals.
3. Non-contaminated products
A key advantage of organic farming is the fact that products are free of any harmful substances like herbicides, fungicides and pesticides. In places where the most of the population is fed on foods that are chemically grown, it has been discovered that there is an increase in cases of diseases related to exposure to harmful chemicals.
4. Benefits the soil
Organic practices like crop rotations, cover crops, inter-cropping, minimum tillage and organic fertilizers encourage soil flora and fauna, enhancing soil structure and formation. These practices also help to maintain soil productivity.
A key drawback of organic farming is that it demands a lot of time for observation, weed control and timely intervention. It also requires more labor as compared to mechanical agriculture.
Researchers in the United States have found that by following organic farming methods, conventional farmer’s can actually reduce production cost by over 25%. It is a great and effective method of increasing food production.