Reasons For Organic Farming
The population of the planet is skyrocketing and providing food for the world is becoming extremely difficult. The need of the hour is sustainable cultivation and production of food for all.
The Green Revolution and its chemical-based technology are losing its appeal as dividends are falling and returns are unsustainable. Pollution and climate change are other negative externalities caused by the use of fossil fuel based chemicals.
In spite of our diet choices, organic food is the best choice you’ll ever make, and this means embracing organic farming methods. Here are the reasons why we need to take up organic farming methods:
1. To Accrue the Benefits of Nutrients
Foods from organic farms are loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, enzymes, minerals and other micro-nutrients compared to those from conventional farms. This is because organic farms are managed and nourished using sustainable practices. In fact, some past researchers collected and tested vegetables, fruits, and grains from both organic farms and conventional farms.
The conclusion was that food items from organic farms had way more nutrients than those sourced from commercial or conventional farms. The study went further to substantiate that five servings of these fruits and vegetables from organic farms offered sufficient allowance of vitamin C. However, the same quantity of fruits and vegetables did not offer the same sufficient allowance.
2. Stay Away From GMOs
Statistics show that genetically modified foods (GMOs) are contaminating natural foods sources at real scary pace, manifesting grave effects beyond our comprehension. What makes them a great threat is they are not even labeled. So, sticking to organic foods sourced from veritable sources is the only way to mitigate these grave effects of GMOs.
3. Natural and Better Taste
Those that have tasted organically farmed foods would attest to the fact that they have a natural and better taste. The natural and superior taste stems from the well balanced and nourished soil. Organic farmers always prioritize quality over quantity.
4. Direct Support to Farming
Purchasing food items from organic farmers is a surefire investment in a cost-effective future. Conventional farming methods have enjoyed great subsidies and tax cuts from most governments over the past years. This has led to the proliferation of commercially produced foods that have increased dangerous diseases like cancer.
It’s time governments invested in organic farming technologies to mitigates these problems and secure the future. It all starts with you buying food items from known organic sources.
5. To Conserve Agricultural Diversity
These days, it normal to hear news about extinct species and this should be a major concern. In the last century alone, it is approximated that 75 percent of the agricultural diversity of crops has been wiped out. Slanting towards one form of farming is a recipe for disaster in the future. A classic example is a potato. There were different varieties available in the marketplace. Today, only one species of potato dominate.
This is a dangerous situation because if pests knock out the remaining potato specie available today, we will not have potatoes anymore. This is why we need organic farming methods that produce disease and pest-resistant crops to guarantee a sustainable future.
6. To Prevent Antibiotics, Drugs, and Hormones in Animal Products
Commercial dairy and meat are highly susceptible to contamination by dangerous substances. A statistic in an American journal revealed that over 90% of chemicals the population consumes emanate from meat tissue and dairy products.
According to a report by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a vast majority of pesticides are consumed by the population stem from poultry, meat, eggs, fish and dairy product since animals and birds that produce these products sit on top of the food chain.
This means they are fed foods loaded with chemicals and toxins. Drugs, antibiotics, and growth hormones are also injected into these animals and so, are directly transferred to meat and dairy products. Hormone supplementation fed to farmed fish, beef and dairy products contributes mightily to the ingestion of chemicals. These chemicals only come with a lot of complications like genetic problems, cancer risks, growth of tumor and other complications at the outset of puberty.
