Anti-EPA House Votes To Let Agribusiness Dump Pesticides In Our Water

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Many countries can and do.

Percentage of organic farms per continent:

Latin America: 31%

Europe: 27%

Asia: 21%

Africa: 18%

North America: 2%

Oceania: 1%

Pretty pathetic, eh?

That isn't what I asked. Show me a country that supports its population on organic farming with the same ratio of airable land per person. Add in the number of other people that depend on the US for its food. The numbers don't add up. You cannot support 300 million people in the US plus the millions of other people in the world that depend on us with the number of acres of airable land we have using organic farming. It just will not work.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

I know this isn't scientific and really has no bearing on the subject but I recalled this and wanted to share.

Warning! Bad words here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M4MiobwycE

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Can Organic Farming Practices Replace Conventional Methods?

May 26, 2010 Geoffrey Miriti

The importance of combating environmental degradation in diverse human socio-economic activities has lead to increased calls for a shift to organic farming practices to replace conventional methods. According to a Greenpeace Environmental Trust report, organic farming doesn't require the use of chemical aids such as fertilizers and pesticides for farming, hybrid seeds, restriction of farm animals to enhance growth and use of machinery for harvesting. The report contends that use of these substances has destroyed wildlife and crop diversity, poisoned people and ruined the soil (p. 4).

Consequently; organic farming advocates natural alternatives for improving soil fertility and increasing production. To maintain the required ecosystem equilibrium the report advises that farmers should shift from using chemical aids to crop rotation, use of antagonistic plants, intercropping, use of physical barriers and biological control agents to control pest infestations and diseases. Manual weeding and handpicking are also encouraged rather than using herbicides and machinery. Further use of green manure and compost to improve soil fertility and practicing mixed livestock farming for improved productivity is recommended.

Benefits of and Challenges Towards Organic Farming Adoption

The main positive for organic farming practices over conventional methods is thus in addressing environmental concerns of farming. Though appropriate application of chemicals in agriculture may not have immediate harmful impacts on the environment, their cumulative effects may prove hazardous. By effective use of alternatives to chemicals in controlling diseases and pests, the adverse environmental impacts of agriculture are minimized. The focus of organic farming on maintaining ecosystem equilibrium may thus be the best action to minimize the depletion of existing natural resources, to promote environmental integrity.

Secondly organic farming as advanced in the report could have an ethical edge over its conventional counterpart. The humane treatment of farm animals and use of manual labour to prevent unnecessary replacement of human resources with machinery confers organic farming with a superior ethical rating. Further the concern for environmental outcomes of farming buttresses the ethical argument of organic farming practices. In a different journal commentary, however, the argument that organic farming takes farming out of reach of the ordinary farmer, hence depriving them off their income, counters its ethical rating.

On the drawbacks of adopting organic farming practices productivity and cost aspects rank high. It is argued in the commentary that the agrarian revolution advances employed in modern day farming helped to increase productivity with limited resources. For organic farming practices to achieve such a productivity rating then massive land and manual labour input may be necessary. In locations where the land and labour availability are limited the economical benefits of farming would not be readily realized with an organic farming approach.

Secondly, by using cost intensive production techniques organic farming products attract exorbitant prices in the market. This is irrespective of their nutritive superiority over conventional foods being largely perceived rather than evidence-based, as argued in the commentary. Such high prices of organic foods may thus outstrip the purchasing ability of many families. With these propositions the applicability of organic farming to solve global food scarcity may not be evident.

In conclusion the replacement of conventional farming practices with organic farming practices may not be readily realizable. Much of the challenge of the process stems from its economic unsoundness of employing high production cost alternatives. Similarly the production capability of organic farming may not meet the current world food demand. Organic farming however presents a best practise to reducing adverse environmental impacts of farming.

References

Paarlberg, R. (2009). The ethics of modern agriculture. Society, 46(1), 4-8. DOI: 10.1007/s12115-008-9168-3. (Viewed May 26, 2010).

Parrott, N. & Marsden, T. (2002). The real green revolution: Organic and agroecological farming in the South. Canonbury Villas, London: Greenpeace Environmental Trust.(Viewed May 26, 2010).

Read more at Suite101: Can Organic Farming Practices Replace Conventional Methods? http://www.suite101.com/content/can-organic-farming-practices-replace-conventional-methods-a241277#ixzz1IbDCQ3Ca

Edited April 4, 2011 by JohnSmith2007

[lostinblue 1,989]

That isn't what I asked. Show me a country that supports its population on organic farming with the same ratio of airable land per person. Add in the number of other people that depend on the US for its food. The numbers don't add up. You cannot support 300 million people in the US plus the millions of other people in the world that depend on us with the number of acres of airable land we have using organic farming. It just will not work.

Here is supporting view on this subject.

Louise Fresco on feeding the whole world

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Can modern farming improve? Sure it can! Can we use less/better chemicals? Sure again! Can we do away with farming chemicals all together? Nope, not and feed everyone that needs to be fed. When I was growing up on the farm we spread our cattles manure on the fields. We also use ammonia to supplement the manure. Why didn't we just use manure? Because, even though we had 200 head of cattle and were farming 300 acres we didn't have enough manure to do the job. That is the real drawback of organic farming. There just isn't enough organic fertalizers to do the job. Now with pesticides, there is no way to combat the bugs that like to eat our food without pesticides. Before pesticides a good third of our crops were lost to bugs. Yes there are certain plants that keep bugs away but trying to implement them on an industrial scale is impractical. We used to plant castor bean bushes along our garden as a natural insect repellent. It helped but the further away from the bush you got the worse the bugs got. When you consider the huge size of a castor bean bush you will find you will take up more land with the repelent than the crop. We should find better ways of farming than just dumping chemicals on the fields but there is no way to totaly get away from chemicals.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Can modern farming improve? Sure it can! Can we use less/better chemicals? Sure again! Can we do away with farming chemicals all together? Nope, not and feed everyone that needs to be fed. When I was growing up on the farm we spread our cattles manure on the fields. We also use ammonia to supplement the manure. Why didn't we just use manure? Because, even though we had 200 head of cattle and were farming 300 acres we didn't have enough manure to do the job. That is the real drawback of organic farming. There just isn't enough organic fertalizers to do the job. Now with pesticides, there is no way to combat the bugs that like to eat our food without pesticides. Before pesticides a good third of our crops were lost to bugs. Yes there are certain plants that keep bugs away but trying to implement them on an industrial scale is impractical. We used to plant castor bean bushes along our garden as a natural insect repellent. It helped but the further away from the bush you got the worse the bugs got. When you consider the huge size of a castor bean bush you will find you will take up more land with the repelent than the crop. We should find better ways of farming than just dumping chemicals on the fields but there is no way to totaly get away from chemicals.

The castor bean plant is the most deadly of all plants. Eat a single castor bean, or perhaps two if you're an adult, and you'll die.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

The castor bean plant is the most deadly of all plants. Eat a single castor bean, or perhaps two if you're an adult, and you'll die.

I know. They also make Sarin gas out of the beans. But it does keep the bugs away! Hey, it's organic!

[Ban Hammer 13,548]

I know. They also make Sarin gas out of the beans. But it does keep the bugs away! Hey, it's organic!

actually, ricin comes from castor beans.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

actually, ricin comes from castor beans.

Opps, yeah your right. Wrong deadly gas.

Pretty bushes though. Really big, like a tree.

[lostinblue 1,989]

actually, ricin comes from castor beans.

If you took a fair size town say 40,000 population.Every one has a garden. You had half the population used the organic method of castor beans as an insectide and had the other half use a chemical one which side would have the greater death loss.

Edited April 5, 2011 by lostinblue

[JohnSmith2007 353]

If you took a fair size town say 40,000 population.Every one has a garden. You had half the population used the organic method of castor beans as an insectide and had the other half use a chemical one which side would have the greater death loss.

It depends on how many idiots try to make their own caster oil.

[mawilson 2,133]

Can Organic Farming Practices Replace Conventional Methods?

May 26, 2010 Geoffrey Miriti

On the drawbacks of adopting organic farming practices productivity and cost aspects rank high. It is argued in the commentary that the agrarian revolution advances employed in modern day farming helped to increase productivity with limited resources. For organic farming practices to achieve such a productivity rating then massive land and manual labour input may be necessary. In locations where the land and labour availability are limited the economical benefits of farming would not be readily realized with an organic farming approach.

Secondly, by using cost intensive production techniques organic farming products attract exorbitant prices in the market. This is irrespective of their nutritive superiority over conventional foods being largely perceived rather than evidence-based, as argued in the commentary. Such high prices of organic foods may thus outstrip the purchasing ability of many families. With these propositions the applicability of organic farming to solve global food scarcity may not be evident.

In conclusion the replacement of conventional farming practices with organic farming practices may not be readily realizable. Much of the challenge of the process stems from its economic unsoundness of employing high production cost alternatives. Similarly the production capability of organic farming may not meet the current world food demand. Organic farming however presents a best practise to reducing adverse environmental impacts of farming.

Hardly a rebuttal, John.

But who is Geoffrey Miriti? I did a Google search on him and came up with nothing - a LinkedIn profile for some guy in Kenya.

Here's some real research from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Organic farming can feed the world, U-M study shows

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.

More here.

[mawilson 2,133]

we didn't have enough manure to do the job.

Now that's something you don't hear every day. Maybe you should have imported it from Washington DC

[Peikko 1,575]

Hardly a rebuttal, John.

But who is Geoffrey Miriti? I did a Google search on him and came up with nothing - a LinkedIn profile for some guy in Kenya.

Here's some real research from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Organic farming can feed the world, U-M study shows

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.

More here.

In agriculturally poor regions intensive agriffarming is that very LAST thing you want to do. These regions require low intensive methods to maintain any type of long term fertility and viable growing microclimate. In some parts of Africa they have re-introduced trees and shrubs into farm land and achieved amazing results.

[mawilson 2,133]

In agriculturally poor regions intensive agriffarming is that very LAST thing you want to do. These regions require low intensive methods to maintain any type of long term fertility and viable growing microclimate. In some parts of Africa they have re-introduced trees and shrubs into farm land and achieved amazing results.

There's simply no excuse for pesticides, herbicides and other harmful chemicals in this day and age.