Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ORGANIC VERSUS CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURE
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W hile I do not want to oversimplify complex topics, I do want to be certain
th at we all understand how organic farming contrasts with conventional
pr oduction. Some farmers who identify with the term sustainable agricul-
tu re may also employ some of the same methods as organic farmers. To put
it concisely, organic farming methods are based on complex crop rotations
th at build soil health and employ only organic fertilizer (i.e., spreading com-
po sted manure, planting nitrogen-fixing legumes) and natural pest control
(i .e., introducing beneficial insects, following useful crop rotation). These
di verse crops also provide farmers with numerous crops to sell to different
m arkets, often earning a price premium over conventional crops. Organic
fa rms are operationally diverse, often mixing various types of crops and
liv estock so that the risk is spread out over more opportunities. In addition,
or ganic farms build numerous distinct marketing channels, often relying on
se lling directlywithin the local community so as to keepmore profit on-farm
an d to build integration of regional food production and consumption.
These activities contrast sharply with most American agriculture, which
is often called “conventional” or “industrial.”Conventional agriculture uses
lim ited crop rotations and so must rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers (i.e.,
an hydrous ammonia), which kill much of the living biota present in the soil,
an d toxic chemicals, which kill most weeds and insects. These chemicals
se ep down into the ground and contaminate the groundwater; they also run
of f the surface of the fields during a rainstorm and pollute creeks, rivers, and
ev en the ocean downstream. Some percentage of these chemicals remain
on the food and can harm farmworkers harvesting it and consumers eating
it. Conventional farmers are caught in a vicious cycle in which they grow
va st amounts of crops, and this overproduction leads to extremely low
an d falling prices. Then farmers need even higher yield per acre the next
ye ar, so they must use even more agrichemicals - and still many family
fa rms go bankrupt. At the same time, the agribusinesses that sell farmers
th e chemicals and buy the low priced crops are becoming increasingly
w ealthy. Conventional farmers' incomes are so low that they must rely on
government subsidies in order to continue to produce food. So why is the
American taxpayer wholly supporting this illogical system of conventional
food production, in which agribusiness is the only winner? Because people
don't know the truth. The development of this illogical system of food
production reflects our complicated relationship with the countryside.
Although we hold a romantic ideal of the rural way of life, most Amer-
icans have grown up in towns and cities; our only link to the food we eat
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