Organic FarmingA Solution for Harml

Organic Farming
A Solution for Harmless Food


Organic farming is a form of agriculture which excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, live-stock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms. It is believed that organic farming should replace conventional one for some reasons.

Firstly, as far as possible, organic farmers rely on crop rotation, integrated pest management, crop residue, compost and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests.

Secondly, studies have shown that people who work with pesticides have an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The pesticides examined in these two long-term studies, paraquat and dieldrin, are not allowed on organic farms. The herbicide paraquat and fungicide maneb together, but not alone, have been shown to cause brain damage in mice. Some organic farming standards do allow the use of natural methods of protection from pests such as those derived from plants. Organic activists state that natural pesticides are a last alternative, while growing healthier, disease-resistant plants, using cover crops and crop rotation, and encouraging beneficial insects and birds are the primary methods of pest control.

Finally, a 2001 study demonstrated that children who are fed organic diets experienced significantly lower organophosphorus pesticide exposure than children fed conventional diets. A similar study in 2006 measured the levels of organophosphorus pesticide exposure in 23 pre-school children before and after replacing their diet with organic food: levels of organophosphorus pesticide exposure dropped dramatically and immediately when the children switched to an organic diet. Although the researchers did not collect health outcome data in this study, they concluded “it assumes that children whose diets consist of organic food items would have a lower probability of neurologic health risks.”

Therefore, organic farming should replace conventional one to reduce the using of pesticides which usually remain in farm production such as fruits and vegetables since there are a lot of research which prove that pesticides may be harmful for the consumers if people use pesticides improperly.