TheTypes of organic farming include relying on green manure, composts, biological pest control mechanisms, and crop rotation to produce crops, animal products, and other consumables. Organic-based agricultural practices promote cycling of resources towards conservation of biodiversity and ecological control. In addition, the primary aspects of organic farming include the use of green manure, cover crops and other plant materials, animal manures, and soil rotation to interrupt the habitats of pests and diseases, improve soil fertility, and maximize the biological activity of soils.
In other words, it tends not to allow any sort of synthetic chemical fertilizer, antibiotic, herbicides or pesticides . Thus, in fact, organic farming aims at producing fibers, grains, vegetables, flowers, fruits, foods, and animal products such as milk, eggs and meats in the most natural way.
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Objective of Organic Farming
Organic farming has possible advantages :
- Generate genetic diversity
- Initiate use of natural pesticides
- Cultivation of Soil at Proper Time
- Maintain and Improve Soil Condition and Fertility
- Control for pests, diseases and weed
Types of Organic Farming
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PureÂ
This completely depends on the use of organic manures and bio-pesticides neglecting the inorganic chemicals and pesticides.
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IntegratedÂ
This incorporates integrated nutrient management; this is integrated pest management. It is that type of farming where one grows crops with the available natural resources. Furthermore having the complete nutritive value and also manages to prevent the crop or plants.
Method of Organic Farming
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Soil management
After its harvest, there is nutrient depletion and degradation of the soil. This metheod taps the beneficial bacteria present in animal manure. These microorganisms make nutrients in the soil more productive and fertile.
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Weed management
Weed is an offshoot or unwanted plant that grows either in the farm or agricultural field. Organic agriculture focuses on the prevention of weeds but not totally eradicating the weeds. The most widely used weed management techniques are:
- Mulching: Mulching is a method of applying plastic or plant residues on the soil surface to prevent the growth of weed or
- Weeding by Mowing or cutting: Where there is removal of weeds of top growth.
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Crop diversity
Monoculture is the practice used in the agriculture fields where we harvest and cultivate only type of crop in a particular place. Recently, polyculture has come in existence, where we harvest and cultivate kinds of crops, to meet increasing crop demand and produce the required soil microorganism.
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Controlling other organism
There are both useful and harmful organisms in the agricultural farm which affect the field, So, we need to control the growth of such organisms to protect the soil and the crops. In addition, we can do this by the use of herbicides and pesticides that contain fewer chemicals or are natural.
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Principle of Organic Farming
- Principle health: Organic agriculture must contribute to the health and well-being of soil, plants, and animals, human beings all within one earth.
- The principle of ecological balance: Organic farming must also be modeled on the ecology as a living ecological system. Moreover, the methods must fit the ecological balance and cycle.
- Principle of fairness: Organic farming really gives a quality life and would help in reducing soil infertility.
- Principle of care: Organic agriculture should be carried out in a very prudent and responsible manner for the present and future generations and for the environment.
Pros of Organic Farming
1) High nutrition values
Organic foods supply higher nutrition contents as compared to conventional agriculture food products since organic foods do not contain any form of modified constituents. Time is given to develop natural conditions of growth before being eaten into empty stomachs.
2) Better taste
Besides the nutrition, this also delicious tasting minerals, sugar structures in organic foods are developed mature crops grow long enough. It has been proven that the natural organic and environment-friendly farming techniques are behind the much-touted improved taste of organic food products. In fact, organic fruits and vegetables have much superior-tasting properties over those of conventional-grown.
3) Improved human health
Organic products are safest in comparison to all other food products for consumption by human beings. Organic products are nutritional-rich, chemical-free, and free from any form of modifications. standards put very strict requirements to ensure every product labeled organic is organic in production and processing to pronounce products really free of synthetic chemical components and produced genetically by technology.
4) Environmental sustainability
Achieving enormous mileage in environmental sustainability is what every country dreams for and can partly be realized through organic farming. According to research, organic farming can have excellent mechanisms to improve ecological health, biodiversity, and biological cycles that sustain better lifestyles for the environment.
The primary objectives of organic farming encompass soil management and conservation, maintaining the nutrient cycle, promoting ecological balance, and conserving biodiversity. This is the dream in every nation in the world: achieving great sustainability mileage for the environment. In additon, This partly can be made by organic farming. Research shows that organic farming fashion dynamic systems of ecological harmony, biodiversity, and biological cycles.
5) Food security
This has always been an imbalance between demand and supply food, which has been consistently driven by climate change and poor farming methods that lead to less crop production. Put no reservations, since starvation surrounds so many people in this world, for it is now a general global phenomenon. There lacks safe and nutritious food to satisfy both food preferences and dietary needs for a healthy and active life.
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Cons of Organic farming
1) The Diminished productivity in the long-term
The goal of modern world agriculture is great productivity. Although organic farming promises better and healthier produce, it would, however, be short-term in benefits since it excludes massive forms of input like machinery and chemicals. In contrast, though, the benefits in productivity soon taper off over the longer periods. Right now, as the fertility and health of the soil keep on declining with time in organic farming, so are the yields. And this happens when the soil reaches that point when it is no longer capable of converting the existing humus into soil fertility.
2) Time consuming
Growing crops organically requires a commitment, a lot of patience, and an uphill struggle. Organic farming enables much interaction between farmers and the crop or livestock. Also, it ensures that the crops are organically free from pests and diseases or employs natural methods of weeding and raising animals organically, and is the most time-consuming.
3) Skills
More skills are needed to farm organically than the conventional approach of mechanical and chemical agriculture. Also, much of this is largely due to the fact that the essence of organic farming itself falls short from using external natural inputs and close observation of the process. Organic farmers also do not have the luxury of mechanized or chemical means for fixing every problem in their performance.
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4) Organic products are extremely expensive
Organic foods are the costliest agricultural produce in the marketplace. Probably one such reason why organic farming has not yet got total support as it deserves is that not many people are aware of its great advantages. Organic vegetables and fruits cost much more: 20 to 40 percent more for the same given product. The consumers pay the price, and this is said to be one of the major disadvantages of organically produced food products.In addition, Organic products are expensive, and people assume that organic farmers do not yield as much from their farms as conventional farmers would.
5) Lacks the flexibility of utilizing GMO advantages
The completely organic farming definition is complete avoidance of all sorts of genetic modification. Well, that can really help boost a healthy lifestyle; organic growers, however, miss out on some significant genetic engineered technologies which can help crops withstand pests and diseases better or even tolerate weeds. Also, conventional farmers have the flexibility of taking advantage of genetic modification, which is generally lacking in organic farming.
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Conclusion
Organic farming is an environmentally friendly agricultural practice based on natural methods such as green manure, composting, cropping system, as well as biological pest control for the maintenance of soil fertility, conservation of biodiversity, and ecological balance. Under organic farming, it is strictly prohibited to use synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms while focusing on producing healthy, nutritious food.
There are advantages like improvement of human health, environmental sustainability, and food security; yet, organic farming performs with challenges: these are reduced long-term productivity, time-consuming, and expensive. Moreover, despite their incapacity, organic farming would play a larger viable role for global challenges in environmental conservation and sustainable food production, thus rendering it important for agricultural practice.