What Is Organic Farming?

Answer:
Organic farming is a natural form of agriculture,

without the modern reliance on chemicals and pesticides to boost production. Organic farming relies on methods such as crop rotation, compost, green manure, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation, in order to keep the soil productive and control pests.

Organic farmers will avoid using any synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and any genetically modified organisms. Since 1990, the organic food market is growing rapidly, reaching $46 billion in 2007. This has caused the amount of farmland used in organic farming to grow exponentially as well. Roughly 32.2 hectares worldwide are now farmed organically (about 0.8% of world farmland), and additional 30 million hectares are harvested of wild organic products.

In order to ensure purity, organic farming methods are highly regulated and legally enforced by most countries, based on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), which is an international umbrella organization which was established in 1972. IFOAM defines organic agriculture as follows: “Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.”

The organic movement started in the 1930s and 1940s in order to get away from the growing use of synthetic fertilizers. Sir Albert Howard is thought to be the father of organic farming. J.I. Rodale continued his work in the United States, and Lady Eve Balfour continued his work in the United Kingdom.

Organic farming has always been a small percentage of total farming output. As consumers have become more environmentally aware, the demand for organic produce has grown substantially. This has caused the prices for organic produce to rise as well. The most notable increase in organic farming has been in Europe. India has always had a well established organic farming system. Ancient Indian writings detail the methods of organic farming. An example of organic farming in India is the Sanjeevan system.

The biggest challenge for organic farmers is not only getting the plants enough nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients, but making sure that they get enough nitrogen at the right time for the plant’s development. Crop rotation and cover crops help to increase soil nutrients, although the competition for water can be a problem when wider rows are needed. They may also use pH additions, such as lime and sulfur, on their fields.

Standards regulating production methods and final output may be voluntary or legislated. In the 1970s, producers could be voluntarily certified by private organizations. Governments began to regulate organic farming in the 1980s. As of 2007, over 60 countries regulate organic farming.