Feb
19
2010
What are the effects of Organic Food Production?
SHIIIZNIIIZ asked:
what are the chemicals and other substances involved in Organic Pesticide? (i heard you need up to use much more of it since its inefficient, so its worse sort of.)
what are the chemicals and other substances involved in Organic Pesticide? (i heard you need up to use much more of it since its inefficient, so its worse sort of.)
What are the effects of Organic Farming on the environment? (i heard it takes up more land, so more destruction of forests is required)
Is organic food healthier? (i heard its genetically the same as other foods, and some say it has more nutrition while other studies say it doesnt)
(would be nice if you could source it)
Thanks for your help!
By J^3, February 20, 2010 @ 11:21 pm
1) One of the major points of organic farming is to cut down on the rampant use of pesticide and fertilizer. They do not use any synthetic chemicals for pest/fert, and thus use stuff like ladybugs to kill pests and rotting fish to fertilize the land.
2) You use up more land per unit of production, but you don’t destroy forests to make more land. There’s plenty of arable space left unfarmed in the USA and other “organic conscious” countries. In addition, organic farms leave the ecosystem in much better shape since the plants there are more diverse.
Also, “A 2003 investigation by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs in the UK found, similar to other reports, that organic farming “can produce positive environmental benefits”"
3) Organic food is genetically the same, but we have no conclusive evidence for or against the nutrition claims. However, they have noticeably less pesticide, which can be a plus in your “is this food healthier” decision.