Organic Farming Case Study

In the article,” Why Bother” written by Michael Pollen, he explains how the environment has gotten very bad over time. He talks about sustainability, global warming, and the cheap-energy mind in his article. He tells us that we need to act now before the phenomenon gets worse. Have you paid attention to the environment lately? Have you noticed the rising temperature around the world? Have you noticed the melting of the ice caps? If you haven’t you are about to be in for a surprise. The world has gotten very bad and we need to act now. There are a lot of causes to the environmental problems. The main cause are from farmers all around the world. Farmers are a lot more technologically advanced then what they were 50 years ago compared to now. The problem with the farmers are the overuse of energy, erosion of the soil, and pollution. The answer to all of these problems is sustainable agriculture because it is more efficient and better for the environment.

The development of high yield crops have saved huge areas of forests and other environmentally fragile lands that would otherwise have been needed for farming. For example, in Asia cereal production doubled between 1970 and 1975, yet the total land area cultivated with cereals increased by only 4 percent. The passing of laws like the Clean Water Act of 1972 that took steps to insure the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides would not end up in the waterways that so many people rely on for consumption and in the agriculture world of farming. The development of pest-resistant varieties has also helped in keeping pesticides and herbicides out of our waters. All of these advancements and legislation have championed a sustainable way to continue growth in economics and

Local sustainable farming has many attributes, but one of the most important is to preserve the quality of the environment. Even though farming is not a new concept, many people do not know what it is or how it works, yet most of them think that food just comes from supermarkets. The current industrial agriculture system have improved the yields of production by growing monocrops such as corn and soy, which in turn is leading the land to erosion. It has also implemented the use of new technologies, mechanization, chemical products, and government policies (Ingels, Campbell 1.) However, it has had significant costs. Land deterioration, water contamination, and human health problems related to diet are some of them. As the industrial farms, sustainable farms also have high yield of production. As shown in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” Polyface, a local sustainable farm located in virginia, produces in a season: 30,000 dozen eggs, 10,000 broilers, 800 stewing hens, 25,000 Lbs of beef, 25,000 lbs of pork, 1,000 turkeys, and 500 rabbits (14). Opposite to Industrial farming, local sustainable agriculture is helping the land recover thanks to the implementation of multicropping and the use of

Use of pesticides and fertilizers on farms has increased by 26-fold over the past 50 years, fueling increases in crop production globally. But there have been serious environmental consequences.

The worries of health and environmental issues in the United Kingdom have increased the demand of organic food mainly to reduce ‘off-farm inputs’ and to increase health nutrients in our daily intake . The UK is a MEDC, because it is considered as a rich country, and due to the UK receiving raw resources from LEDC. The UK uses these raw materials for the outcome of any industry. One of UK’s biggest industries is the food industry, because everyone needs food and nutrients in their body, to be able to stay alive. The food industry is a primary industry and a secondary industry because the food industry consist of growing raw crops, making it a primary industry, and the food industry also uses these raw crops to make other food/products. The reasons why health and environmental concerns in the United Kingdom has increased the demand of organic food is that there are physical damage and effects on the environment , the society is motivated to be healthier , and lastly it’s worth the price .

The health of Canadians has been on a continuous decline, as Canadians continue to consume unhealthy foods which are processed and lacking many nutrients. An alternative form of farming, known as organic farming, is a great solution for Canadians to eat healthy and promote biodiversity, sustainability, and productivity of the ecosystem. Organic farming eliminates the use of harmful chemicals such as artificial fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics, and growth hormones. With respect to conventional farming, organic farming has proven to be a more beneficial method of farming as it is pesticide-free, genetically modified(GMO) free, and contains higher nutritional content.

To commence with, Hayden (2010) points out that the overwhelming increase in population of human, global economy, and both industrial and agricultural productions has dealt severe blows to various aspects of the environment. Besides causing irreversible damages to the Earth, according

During the 1960s, there was a “sharp increase” in crop production which came to be known as the Green Revolution. This increase in crop yields was due to the advancements in plant breeding and the use of modern agricultural techniques. The Green Revolution intended to increase the food supply in order to reduce the risk of famine (intended outcome 1), and with the surplus they were able to export the excess (intended outcome 2). However, there were also some unintended outcomes. Two of these were salinization, and the artificial fertilizers that were used harmed the

The possibility of our planet Earth coming to an end is coming faster than expected. There are theories, documents, and myths about this unrealistic phenomenon that can come true if actions aren’t being taken. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “The majority of American farmland in modern society is dominated by industrial agriculture – the system of chemically intensive food production developed in the decades after World War II, managing single-crop farms and animal production facilities”(1). The main source and reason why factory farms are active today is because the government’s permission to use corn to feed animals and produce crops. Subsiding corn came about two decades because the high demand for food was increasing and corn is cheaper to use to produce food such as meat and crops. With the practices of using corn in everything that we eat and make came with consequences. One of the consequences of factory farming is the endangerment of our environment. Our environment is very important to us because without it, our Earth will be nothing, but a planet of pure pollution. Society’s demands of food for affordable prices has taken a toll on the environment as we used fossil fuel, not becoming responsible for animal waste being dispose, and regulations not being implemented. However, solutions to saving our environment from the biggest problem of all, global warming, can be solve by eliminating fossil fuels, recycle the wastes and using it to make

Various proposals exist to eliminate and/or reduce the impact animal agriculture entails on climate change. The report released by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations suggests alternatives to the various sectors to the livestock industry. They propose better efficiency so, “...a larger portion of the energy in the animals’ feed is directed toward the creation of useful products (milk, meat, draught power), so that methane emissions per unit product are reduced.” (qtd. in Shields 363). The Humane Society International also developed some solutions the overall population can contribute to reduce climate change issues in the environment. One suggestion is promoting a higher population of people with plant-based diets in order to reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions. The Humane Society International also ties this suggestion to an overall improvement for not only animal welfare, but public heath too. (“The Impact of Animal Agriculture” n.p.).

Food production, human health and welfare, and the state of the world's natural resources are all connected. Growing food is among the most essential services our ecosystem provides, since it is fundamentally dependent on the world's atmosphere, soils, freshwater and genetic resources. The health and sustainability of the food systems is a human health issue. For example airborne pesticides can drift onto water resources or pesticides can run off directly from croplands into groundwater and surface waters, potentially affecting wild flora, fauna, and humans. Besides water, soil is another critical basis for long-term fertility in food production. Existing agricultural practices mine soils of their organic matter and leave them nitrogen depleted. Because industrialized agriculture generally lacks practices to sustainably cycle these resources within the production system, they often become wastes that further undercut human

Food directly affects to human health; it supplies energy for human activities. Now, choosing good foods for family becomes a hard problem with many households when people hear about the toxic ingredients in food every day. The diseases, which have been linked to food poisoning, are increasing day by day. The development of new technology analyzed the nutrient elements, and figured out the risks of poisonous elements in food. The scientists researched a new farming method called organic farming method that is producing the best quality food for every person. Nowadays, organic food has become a familiar term with many people. People should consume organic food because it reduces health risks, tastes great, protects the environment, and

The topic that I chose to focus on for my research paper is on the practices used in both organically and conventionally grown foods. More specifically, I focus on the sustainability of the two different methods and whether or not one is more sustainable than the other in terms of soil health and crop output/production. The question that I asked in order to help develop my research is “Is organic farming more sustainable and healthy than conventional farming methods?” My stance on the matter is that organic farming methods are not only healthier than conventional methods but they are also more sustainable for future farming.

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art” (Francois De La Rochefoucauld). For the past few years’ organic food has become very popular among today’s society. The topic has been spread across headlines of magazines for example, men’s and women’s health magazine. Organic food has made for some very intriguing and diverse conversions on documentaries, talk shows, and health seminars. Organic food is plain and simple it is the process in which the food is grown, but the paper will get to that more in depth later, also many claim that organic food can heal certain diseases. There are many reasons as of why organic food is so beneficial. Organic food should be the only option because it supports the environment, economy, and the overall health of the population.

In our society one of the most prevalent problems facing the human race is the future of food, how we plan to sustain the bodies of our future generation. Many corporations have already started to genetically modify food so that they can be able to return more of a profit or grow bigger, better crops. They also commonly use pesticides and other chemicals in the process of growing their crops to better benefit their business plan. However, since these corporations have been so focused on gaining the upper hand in the industry many of them have thrown old methods of farming out the door there has been much debate over whether or not these crops are truly better for the human body. Another major concern over new farming methods and the advances in agricultural technology is if these corporations can destroy the many ecosystems of our earth just to be able to one up the competition. This is a pressing matter due to the fact that as stated by Usman Chohan, who is involved in finding sustainable agriculture methods for the future and was invited to Pakistan Agricultural Research Council site at Fatehjang to analyze their sustainability initiative “sustainable solutions are at the heart of our efforts to satiate our developmental needs whilst minimizing our ecological footprint in the years to come.” (Chohan, 2014). My question that I will be investigating is, how can agricultural processes of today be altered to be more environmentally sustainable yet still