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Literature review on why organic farming is better than conventional farming
Para on organic farming and its advantages
Para on organic farming and its advantages
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Fertilizer is the most important component that the plant uses in its growth and development. A natural fertility of the soil takes a hundred years before it produces. Some decayed plants and animals are sources of organic fertilizer.
By definition, organic fertilizers are derived from animal or vegetable matter, (e.g. compost manure). In contrast, the majority of fertilizer is extracted from minerals (e.g. phosphate rock) or produced industrially (e.g. ammonia). Naturally occurring organic matter/organic fertilizers include animal waste from meat processing, peat, manure, slurry and guano.
Organic farming produces nutrient rich, fertile soil which nourishes the plants. Keeping chemicals off the land protects water quality and wild life.
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Background of the Study
Organic farming gives benefits to man and to all living organisms in order to achieve high production in vegetable farming to add nutrients to the soil. Bone meal and blood meal are two fertilizer options that come from natural sources, enriching soil with nitrogen and phosphorous. Blood meal is a natural way to boost all-important nitrogen levels in the soil. Without nitrogen, plants simply can't grow.
Scotts (2004) said that blood meal is one of the richest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen, which is a crucial component of plant cells and one of the basic components of chlorophyll, the substance that helps plants convert sunlight into sugars. Adding blood meal to garden soil will help raise the level of nitrogen and will help plants to grow more lush and green. The nitrogen in blood meal can also help raise the acid level of your soil, which is beneficial to some kinds of plants that prefer soils with low pH (acidic
My group, fertilizer group 3, is testing the variables of plant color and number of leaves. Fertilizer can affect that drastically! Those two variables are basically what determine a healthy plant. Fertilizer can help to boost the minerals in the soil and give the plant what it needs to survive and be healthy.
Organic products and non-organic products have been a subject of interest to me for a great amount of time because I have often questioned whether there really was a difference between the two types of products. I always wondered what the nutritional, economic, laborious, and pollution differences were, if any, in the creation of the two types of products. Through research, I have found several sources of information that allow me to determine more than a physical difference between the two. To start, labeling something as organic is specific and determined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The regulations set are extremely specific and it is relatively difficult to meet the standards.
Organic refers to the way agricultural products, food and fiber, are grown and processed. “It is an ecological system that at its core relies on a healthy rich soil to produce strong plants that resist pests and diseases. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic and persistent chemicals in favor of more “earth-friendly” practices that work in harmony with nature. In the case of livestock, antibiotics are prohibited, opting instead for preventative measures for keeping animals healthy and productive. Organic production also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).” (Ameriorganic) To find organic products one must only look for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seal. The seal certifies the product must be 95%
Three substances mainly make fertilisers: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Their percentage in the solution will change the effectiveness on a decisive plant; for example it is recommended to use high proportion of nitrogen fertilizers during the spring growth of spurts. Fertilisers can be spitted in two categories: organic that contains a low level of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and aren’t toxic to the environment and synthetic that are made with a high concentration of the three substances and can be corrosive to the environment if overused. Looking closely at the three chemicals: nitrogen is considered the most important substance of a fertilizer, it contributes to the greening of the leaves and their growth. Phosphorous’ job is to enhance the growth of roots, seeds and flowers.
Nitrogen can be considered as both a fertilizer and nutrient under the right constraints. I will use citrus plants as one of my examples. For citrus growers applying nitrogen to plants is a common and needed practice. “Spring is the best time to apply nitrogen to citrus. Research has shown that the demand for nitrogen in citrus is highest from bloom through June and most of the supplemental nitrogen fertilizer should be applied during this time period.” It is a major key to plant growth and development. Nitrogen is crucial to citrus plants for optimal growth and yield. Without nitrogen you can see suffering results for many years down the road.
...er, by growing organic food, people will also contribute in preserving the environment, including with reducing the global warming effect and also treat animal better as one of our important sources.
she is feeding 129 people across the United States. Organic farming and conventional farming produce the same yields as crops and animals. The large scale organic system could be beneficial if the standards are changed and made better for the environment. It is argued by many that organic farming is still a benefit to animals and the environment, even when it is done in the industrial setting.
Lyman (1998) explained that organic farmers in the past had to pay attention to details. Such details are: what plant they were growing so that the soil would get the nitrogen naturally, leaving the field fallow once every few years so that moisture can be restored to the soil, ways to raise the animal so that they do not overgraze the land, and work with nature and not against it (p. 85). The work of traditional organic farming is very labor intensive and the product is not always profitable. Lyman explained that the uses of chemicals made farming easier because he can buy fertilizer in bulk and put it into the soil. The fertilizer helps increase grass growth, which also increases the size of the cows, providing the farmer with greater profit.
The first reason being that since they are not using any chemicals, the farmers are doing more labor work. By using chemicals on crops, farmers end up reducing the cost of production because they are able to get the job done faster. Without the chemicals, farmers have to hire more people to weed eat, clean the polluted water, and get rid of the pesticide contamination. The second reason is that the demand overwhelms the supply. Organic farms tend to produce less than non-organic farms. Non-organic farms have the supplies they need to keep costs down since manufacturers are able to decrease costs when producing a large quantity of products. The third reason is that fertilizers are more expensive for organic crops. Non-organic farmers use sewage sludge and chemicals, because they do not cost as much and they are cheap to transport. Organic farmers keep their crops natural and use animal manure, which is more expensive to transport. The forth reason is crop rotation. Organic farmers use crop rotations to keep their soil healthy and prevent weeds, while non-organic farmers use chemicals to kill their weeds. The fifth reason is the post-harvest handling cost. In order to avoid cross-contamination, organic foods have to be separated from non-organic foods after being harvested. Non-organic foods can be shipped in larger quantity sizes,
Organic foods are those grown without the use of growth hormones, antibiotics, synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizers. Genetically modifying crops is also not preformed in organic farming. Soil fertility can be maintained using crop rotation, cultivation practices, and cover crops. Natural fertilizers and pesticides are still considered to be included in organic farming (Winter & Davis, 2006). Products that are controlled with cultivation conditions rather than chemical-synthetic pesticides include organic products (Woese, Lange, Boess & Werner Bogl, 1999). The use of synthetic pesticides and materials falls under conventional farming. If the materials are on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, it can, however, be considered organic. A process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring sources is considered a synthetic material (Winter & Davis, 2006).
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use
Soil is the most important non-renewable resource on any farm. Healthy soil is key to a good
Organic farming has mushroomed drastically in importance and influence worldwide from its modest beginnings in the first half of the last century. Organic farming is production of food and livestock without the use of herbicides, pesticides, weedicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organism and use natural resources such as manure and compost instead. In other words, it is a production system which maintains the quality of soil ecosystem as well as human beings. According to IOWA State University, “the chemicals were not used for farming before World War 2. A number of munitions used in farming have contributed to field of agriculture.
Plant nutrition is area of plant biology that is of the utmost importance for the proliferation of plants. Without proper nutrition, plants would simply cease to exist unless drastic alterations were made. There are certain elements that are required for the plant to grow and reproduce; these elements are known as essential elements. There are three requirements of an essential element: the element must be required for the completion of the plant’s life cycle, the element must not be replaceable by another element in whole, and finally the element must be direction involved in the metabolism of the plant. Chemical compounds that are involved in proper nutrition have been designated as nutrients, and further classified as macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are needed for growth, metabolism, and many other functions, but are designated as “macro” because they are required in larger amounts. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fat molecules. Micronutrients have a much wider function that depends on the exact micronutrient. Micronutrients are designated as so because they are needed in much smaller amounts when compared to macronutrients. Examples of micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.