What is organic farming, and its benefits?
Introduction
To get organic produce, one has to follow the rules regulated accordingly. Organic farming is practiced in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and others. Farmers need special certification to sell organic products. Organic growers have to meet national or international standards. It has been suggested that the use of breeding in food production should be included in certified organic foods. Unluckily, only 1% of organic farming is practiced, and it is not a satisfactory percentage. We need to play our role in promoting organic farming so that we may be able to produce quality food.
What is organic farming?
It is an agricultural system in which bio-pesticides and organic fertilizers are widely used. Modern organic farming was developed in response to saving environmental damage caused by the use of chemicals. The food produced by this technique will be environmentally friendly and will enhance soil fertility by favoring the population of beneficial insects.
Farming methods
Compost
With this method, the soil is stored by the cover crops, which reduces soil erosion and also adds organic matter percentage to our soil. Nitrogen-fixing crops are also cultivated, which add nitrogen to the soil and help reduce the application of synthetic nitrogen. The barren land or the spaces between the rows of fruiting plants are also covered with cover crops. The producers are also working to improve the organic matter in the soil and reduce soil erosion. The compost is made locally in which household residual materials, dry leaves, animal dung, bread pieces, and dry grass are included. In this case, a layer of this material is made, and the animal dung layer is added with each layer. The heap should be left for at least 30 days, depending on the weather conditions. All the layers will be decomposed after 30-40 days. They can be used for crops instead of as inorganic fertilizers.
Pest control
In conventional agriculture, pest control is done using chemicals only, while in natural farming the use of pesticides is discarded, and instead natural and different methods are used to control pests. Biological methods include organisms such as the bacteria BT, which is used to control caterpillars. Similarly, Trichograma cards are used for the natural control of many insects. In the case of physical control, pheromones or light traps are used to control insects. Crop rotation is done in the field to control weeds or to reduce pest infestation. In addition to pesticides, pest control also involves biological, cultural, and genetic control to reduce insect damage. Insect cycles can be disrupted by cultural control, where crop rotation is widely used. Finally, plant breeding traditionally has produced a variety of plants that are resistant to certain pests. The use of such species and the cultivation of various genetic plants provide genetic control against many pests and plant diseases.
Summary
Organic products have a prominent place in the market. The users of organic products always demand and pay a high price because they don’t want to compromise on quality. There is a lower disease ratio among organic users. If we continue to practice organic farming, then the following advantages will be ours.
- It reduces soil erosion, reduces nitrate leaks in groundwater and surface water, and returns animal waste to the farm.
- Products do not contain harmful chemicals.
- Compatible with nature.
- Promoting biodiversity by saving the populations of beneficial insects.
- It improves soil fertility and structure and enhances biodiversity.
- They do this by making their natural fertilizers, and using dead plants, and other natural waste.
- It also reduces the risk of toxic effects on humans and animals.
- By doing organic farming, the organic matter content can be increased in the soil, which is a very important aspect of this technique.
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