Organic fertilizers are fertilizers made from organic materials, usually coming from natural resources and free from harmful chemicals. These organic fertilizers cannot be usually seen in markets, due to the fact that there are more chemical fertilizers being manufactured in the market. Organic fertilizers are minimally processed; thus, the nutrients remain bound up in their natural forms rather than being extracted and refined. Considering that in today’s time, people are becoming more conscious of their health and keeping their well-being in a good condition is a top priority. This makes organic fertilizers beneficial, not only for the plants, but as well as to the people. Second benefit, it is an on farm production. The majority of organic …show more content…
In philosophical terms organic farming means “farming in sprits of organic relationship”. In this system everything is connected with everything else. Therefore, its goal is to create an integrated, environmentally sound, safe and economically sustainable agriculture production system. Organic farming works in harmony with nature rather than against it. This involves using techniques to achieve good crop yields without harming the natural environment or the people who live and work in it. The methods and materials that organic farmers use are summarized as follows: to keep and build good soil structure and fertility and to control pests, diseases and weeds. One of the goals of organic farming is to keep and build good soil structure and fertility. In keeping and building good soil structure and fertility, farmers must use recycled and composted crop wastes and animal manures. Nutrients from crop wastes and animal manures are beneficial to the growth and yield of a crop, fruits, vegetables, in general, it is beneficial to the plants. It is important to keep in mind the right soil cultivation at the right time, crop rotation, green manures and legumes, and also the mulching on the soil …show more content…
Not only will the farmers be able to save money but they are able to produce nutritious food, feed for animals and high quality crops to sell at a good price. Organic farming does not mean going ‘back’ to traditional methods. Many of the farming methods used in the past are still useful today. Organic farming takes the best of these and combines them with modern scientific knowledge. Organic farmers do not leave their farms to be taken over by nature; they use all the knowledge, techniques and materials available to work with nature. In this way the farmer creates a healthy balance between nature and farming, where crops and animals can grow and thrive. To be a successful organic farmer, the farmer must not see every insect as a pest, every plant out of place as a weed and the solution to every problem in an artificial chemical spray. The aim is not to eradicate all pests and weeds, but to keep them down to an acceptable level and make the most of the benefits that they may
Pollan compares Naylor’s Farm and the Polyface Farm to understand the differences between organic and conventional farming. In organic farming, there are no synthetic
Also they are slaughtered quickly and they feel no pain. In Conclusion local sustainable is a good
Despite the increase in organic buyers, the majority of people do not know how to merely interpret what the word organic even entails. The United States Department of Agriculture enforces and regulates the labeling of organic products, namely food products (cornucopia.org). In addition to the elusiveness of organic foods, organics are apt to be more expensive than conventional food; this is because instead of a huge manufacturing plant, one would be receiving their food products from a small farm (where a small amount of food is being grown and harvested). People choose to argue that organic food is far better for you than conventional or natural food; however, there are only minute differences between the two. Stephanie Watson, an executive editor of Harvard’s Women Health Watch, states:“The researchers discovered very little difference in nutritional content, aside from slightly higher phosphorous levels in many organic foods, and a higher omega-3 fatty acid content in organic milk and chicken” (Harvard.edu).
I originally thought about the word organic as fruits and vegetables picked freshly from the branches of a tree and packaged into stores and chickens wandering large fields, I realize that it is not that simple. Michael Pollan traced some of his organic purchases back to their sources and discovers that there are organic feedlots, organic dairy cows whose lives are not any nicer than the conventional, and organic “free-range” chickens whose only access to the outside world is a small door in their shed, which is only open for about two weeks. “The organic movement, as it was once called, has come a remarkably long way in the last thirty years, to the point where it now looks considerably less like a movement than a big business” (Pollan 138). My thoughts now on organic foods at supermarkets such as Wegmans and Walmart is that the animals aren’t treated as great as conventional foods. I’ve realized that the extra cost of organic that I pay is largely because of the transportation.
This stunned me at first because I thought organic meant the animals were treated humanely and there was no sort of corruption. This may not be for all farms but there are a lot where the animals don’t see a single blade of grass. These animals are also “tethered to milking machines three times a day.” What makes the milk organic though if they are still treated the same? Well, they are fed grain that is certified organic.
The book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, was written by Michael Pollan and describes a man’s interest in discovering where certain foods truly come from and explain why the humans of today struggle to find something to eat compared to the humans of the past. Pollan embarks on four separate quests having each serve a purpose to give him insight on America’s dynamic and complexed reception of food. In his first quest, Pollan watches a cow and sees its development up until it gets slaughtered. This experience reflects on commercial farming and tries to show animal development in relation to their feed.
Animal waste runoffs or feedlots are farms that specialize in cattle or hogs. These animals are stayed in a very small area of land and they are raised on hormones and grains that make them big and fat for slaughter. Feedlots help provide a lot of protein in America but feedlots contain a lot of the animals poop and other bad substances that can pollute the air and the water with their runoff. Pros of having feedlots is that they produce meat that satisfies U.S. consumers, they’re efficient, and cheap. Cons of having feedlots is that manure contains nitrogen and phosphorus; if not managed properly, they can pollute the nearby lakes,streams,rivers, or oceans, and antibiotic use increases genetic resistance to bacteria in the human body.
Catherine tells the reader that organic food could produce plenty of food for the whole world. She says “when the same products are grown, organic yields are 8% to 19% lower on average than conventional farming yields... We currently grow far more food than is necessary.” (COFFtW).
In the article, “The Omnivore’s Delusion” Blake Hurst expresses his idea that agri- intellectuals, people who claim that industrial farming is inhuman, have a warped perspective on the reality of modern day farming. Essentially, Hurst proposes that there are both positive and negative aspects to both industrial farming and organic farming. Hurst states that during organic farming when farmers do not use unnatural additives, the whole process becomes more troublesome due to the increase of molds, fungus, and bugs. The author writes, “… some of the largest farms in the country are organic—and are giant organizations dependent upon lots of hired stoop labor doing the most backbreaking of tasks in order to save the sensitive conscience of my fellow
He used the average household income of local African farmers as an example of the ineffectiveness of organic agriculture; however, his views have created a number of opponents to his ideas. For example, Ann Lappe, author of “Diet for a Hot Planet” had this to say, “Paarlberg doesn’t get what it means to be organic. Organic farming isn’t just about not using chemicals. Organic farmers improve output by tapping a sophisticated understanding of biological systems to build soil fertility and manage pests and weeds through techniques that include double-dug beds, intercropping, composting, manures, cover crops, crop sequencing, and natural pest control. It could be aptly dubbed ‘knowledge-intensive’ farming.”
First of all, Pollan states just because it says it's organic doesn't mean it really is. If you buy an “organic” salad at your local grocery store, farmers will still use pesticides to keep bugs away and other animals. The chemicals they use are all natural, but it's not truly organic if you use pesticides or other chemicals. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma Pollan says, “Instead of toxic pesticides, crops are sprayed with natural substances, like BT, a pesticide made from a common soil bacteria” (140.) This quote proves that big organic industrial companies use pesticides to help produce grow.
grown on large industrial farms but with only natural fertilizers, and natural bug and weed control.” as said on page 5 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Industrial Organic foods can come in many shapes and sizes, but a timeless example of a company that has been selling organic TV Dinners would be Cascadian which has been selling processed organic food for many years now. One of the foods they sell food is organic, but is still considered industrial are TV Dinners which do include organic foods, but are quick and easy to serve which is considered to be the food making process of Industrial food which prevent Industrial Organic foods from beings truly
Many people choose to eat only organic because it’s said to be healthier but when compared to non-organic food the difference is slim. Regardless people continue to buy organic products. People get emotionally connected to
According to a State of Science Review done in 2008, organic food is more nutritious than inorganic as there are no chemicals or additives going into your body. This means less risk of disease and illness and overall better health, which will be cheaper in the long run as you will save money on health care costs. People with illnesses like Cancer and diabetes, claim that there is a definite improvement in their health after changing their diet to organic
Organic Food In the society where people are getting more concerned about one 's health organic food has become a widely spread and followed by many people tendency. Organic food is believed to have better impact on person 's well-being and not to cause harm to people and the surrounding world due to its ecological nature. The debate that has been recently developed around this topic cannot be solved easily since both supporters and their counterparts provide reasonable arguments supporting their positions. However, to get into the problem and find the answer to a question that concerns many people it is necessary to identify organic food at first.