Nutrients for Plants
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#8: Why Go Organic?
There's a reason why organic farmers are the fastest growing segment of the farming
population - there's the satisfaction of knowing that your farming practices are
benefiting the environment, your family, your community, and the world.
Environmental Benefits:
If all farmers in the U.S. converted to organic production tomorrow, we'd eliminate 500
million pounds of persistent pesticides from entering the environment each year. We'd
no longer be dumping 40 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizer on our fields each year.
We'd help keep waterways clean.
Through cover cropping and other production practices, we'd be taking greenhouse
gases out of the air and sequestering more carbon into the soil. Reduced use of
pesticides and the increasing biodiversity of organic farms would help restore habitats
for beneficial native animals, insects and plants. Universal use of cover crops would
dramatically reduce erosion problems.
In fact, it's hard to exaggerate the environmental benefits of organic production. This is
just a glimpse of some of the many benefits of going organic.
Health Benefits:
When farmers grow organically, they benefit, their families benefit; communities
benefit ... and consumers benefit. Talk to farmers who've transitioned to organic, and
you'll hear countless stories of farmers who started taking their children into the fields
again once they started growing organically, you’ll also find farmers whose own health
improved dramatically when they stopped using toxic and persistent pesticides during
their days.
When potentially harmful farm chemicals no longer percolate into the water supply,
related developmental and health problems in communities can recede. And the
potential health benefits of organic foods for consumers are not just related to the
absence of herbicides and pesticides. A growing body of evidence suggests that
organic fruits and vegetables can be higher in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Social Benefits:
The potential social benefits of going organic range from the small to the dramatic.
Farmers who transition to organic production often have a renewed interest in farming;
they join together with others who have a similar passion for farming in a new way.
Perhaps they collaborate on renovating an abandoned grain mill for handling organic
grains, or a processing facility for organic poultry.
Young, new farmers, drawn to farming because of the organic appeal, add more vitality
to their rural communities. And because organic farming is often about building
relationships and connections, consumers can support these farmers in a variety of
ways. A network develops and flourishes. There is an increasing connection between
consumers and the folks who produce their food.
Resource:
Organic Trade Association
population - there's the satisfaction of knowing that your farming practices are
benefiting the environment, your family, your community, and the world.
Environmental Benefits:
If all farmers in the U.S. converted to organic production tomorrow, we'd eliminate 500
million pounds of persistent pesticides from entering the environment each year. We'd
no longer be dumping 40 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizer on our fields each year.
We'd help keep waterways clean.
Through cover cropping and other production practices, we'd be taking greenhouse
gases out of the air and sequestering more carbon into the soil. Reduced use of
pesticides and the increasing biodiversity of organic farms would help restore habitats
for beneficial native animals, insects and plants. Universal use of cover crops would
dramatically reduce erosion problems.
In fact, it's hard to exaggerate the environmental benefits of organic production. This is
just a glimpse of some of the many benefits of going organic.
Health Benefits:
When farmers grow organically, they benefit, their families benefit; communities
benefit ... and consumers benefit. Talk to farmers who've transitioned to organic, and
you'll hear countless stories of farmers who started taking their children into the fields
again once they started growing organically, you’ll also find farmers whose own health
improved dramatically when they stopped using toxic and persistent pesticides during
their days.
When potentially harmful farm chemicals no longer percolate into the water supply,
related developmental and health problems in communities can recede. And the
potential health benefits of organic foods for consumers are not just related to the
absence of herbicides and pesticides. A growing body of evidence suggests that
organic fruits and vegetables can be higher in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Social Benefits:
The potential social benefits of going organic range from the small to the dramatic.
Farmers who transition to organic production often have a renewed interest in farming;
they join together with others who have a similar passion for farming in a new way.
Perhaps they collaborate on renovating an abandoned grain mill for handling organic
grains, or a processing facility for organic poultry.
Young, new farmers, drawn to farming because of the organic appeal, add more vitality
to their rural communities. And because organic farming is often about building
relationships and connections, consumers can support these farmers in a variety of
ways. A network develops and flourishes. There is an increasing connection between
consumers and the folks who produce their food.
Resource:
Organic Trade Association