"Organic Farming Can Feed The World, Study Suggests"

   The term organic farming is pretty self explanatory; it relies on ecosystem management and the attempt to completely eliminate the use of pesticides or herbicides. Based on current studies organic farming can also yield up to three times as much as conventional farming. 


   Researchers from the University of Michigan found that yields of organic farming and conventional were almost the same in developed countries and in developing countries the yield from organic production might even be higher than conventionally farming. In addition to equal or greater yields organic farming can be done using the same amount of land as conventional farming. 

   So why is this important to us? While in some aspects this sounds like it may be a lot of work, in developing countries it may be the only way for farmers to feed their country because they have no means of getting expensive herbicides and pesticides. It can also be important to us because the extensive use of mechanized tillage, synthetic fertilizers and biocides is so detrimental to the environment. An example would be the high amounts of fertilizer run-off from farmlands are creating dead-zones (low oxygen levels in our watersheds where marine life cannot live). 
Conventional Farming also causes soil-erosion, lack of biodiversity, also plant and animals becoming resistant to these chemicals. 

    Now more time needs to be put into the research of organic farming finding out how easily it can be done and for what price? Will our crops become expensive? And will there be no profit? Obviously these are all considerations that we have to take into account, but as of now I think that organic farming could be a substantial way to feed our earth for years to come.

MLA Citation: American Institute of Biological Sciences. "More Recycling On The Farm Could Reduce Environmental Problems." ScienceDaily, 3 May 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

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