Organic Farming

ORGANIC FARMING

By Anton Antonio

January 10, 2016

“Wow!... genetically modified flora and fauna?  This is not nature’s way… nor God’s way.  Call me old school (meaning: refers to someone or something that is old-fashioned or traditional) but I’m absolutely opposed to genetically modified organisms.” (Antonio, 2016)  This was my closing statement in a previous blog titled “Genetically Modified Organisms” to express my strong opposition to GMOs.  This closing statement, however, may not be all that fair since it came short of suggesting any kind of alternative to GMOs.  As a follow up, allow me to suggest Organic Farming or Organic Agriculture as an alternative course of action.

“Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control.  Depending on whose definition used, organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) if they are considered natural (such as bone meal from animals or pyrethrin from flowers), but it excludes or strictly limits the use of various methods (including synthetic petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides; plant growth regulators such as hormones; antibiotic use in livestock; genetically modified organisms; human sewage sludge; and nanomaterials) in pursuit of goals including sustainability, openness, independence, health, and safety.  Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforces by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM0, an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972.  The USDA definition as of April 1995 is: Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.  It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.  Since 1990 the market for organic food and other products has grown rapidly, reaching $63 billion worldwide in 2012.  This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland that grew from 2001 to 2011 at a compounding rate of 8.9 per annum.  As of 2011, approximately 37,000,000 hectares (91,000,000 acres) worldwide were farmed organically, representing approximately 0.9 percent of total world farmland.”  (Wikipedia)

With too many pollutants present in our environment (air, water and land) today, human health can only be maintained through the consumption of healthy nutritious food.  This is what organic agriculture can provide.  As a means to sustainable food production, the present and future generations will be best advised to adopt and practice organic farming.

Thoughts to promote positive action…

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REFERENCES:

Wikipedia, (2016).  “Organic Farming”.  Retrieved on January 10, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

Antonio, A.C., (2015). “Genetically Modified Organisms”.  Retrieved on January 10, 2016 from http://antonantonio.blogspot.com/2016/01/genetically-modified-organisms.html