Organic farming is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional agriculture, emphasising sustainability and health. It promotes biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystem resilience using natural processes. Despite concerns about yield, organic farming plays a vital role in addressing climate change, water conservation, and food security. In this article, we explore why organic farming is important and the benefits of organic farming on the environment.
Organic farming is an agricultural method of farming that is considered ecologically intensive in its production process. It considers the usage of biofertilizer over chemical fertilizer. While it is commonly believed to result in lower crop yields compared to conventional farming methods, it is more profitable, beneficial for pollinators and the environment, and provides equally or even more nutritious produce with fewer pesticide residues. In line with this, this article examines the importance and benefits of organic farming on the environment.
Organic farming is becoming a beacon of hope, offering a comprehensive approach to preserving agroecosystems, biodiversity, and soil health. It has the potential to enhance climate resilience and address various challenges such as resource sustainability, food security, and climate adaptation. Katayama et al. (2019) believe that despite its lack of popularity in regions like Asia, which are key players in global rice production, organic farming stands out as a method that safeguards biodiversity on a global scale. This method supports a high level of diversity, including various taxonomic groups such as red-list plants in Japan from 2013 to 2015.
With the adoption of organic farming the risk associated with global warming and ecosystem degradation is reduced as it accounts for a lower emission rate when compared with a conventional system, which accounts for a higher rate of greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide, methane and laughing gas.
The world is in urgent need for an improved agricultural production system, and organic farming possesses the potential required for its actualisation as the system supports improved soil quality in farmlands and as well as ecological and social benefits. The system is considered crucial as it helps to improve organic carbon in farmlands which in return helps to maintain the soil's physical structure, chemical and biological properties and cation capability. Accordingly, organic amendment in soil improves fertility and sustainable crop production and this was evident in recent research by Hammad et al. (2020), as poultry litter and sewage sludge contributed more nutrients to the soil than other comparative inorganic fertilizers.
Given the projected rise in global food demand, there is a pressing requirement to boost food production by 25-70% before 2050. This surge will lead to significant consumption and depletion of freshwater resources, as agricultural practices typically demand a substantial volume of water. As such organic system of farming presents the opportunity for quality freshwater and its required conservation. Through organic farming, chemical runoff, soil erosion, and water body contamination are prevented from farmlands and in return contribute to freshwater preservation, quality and optimisation.
Organic farming is often assumed to account for lower crop yield when compared with the conventional system of farming. Despite this wild belief, and the environmental and ecosystem benefits that come along with its practices, organic farming also aids crop yield. Organic farming provides a higher yield than the conventional system of farming as the low yield disambiguation, has often been based on non-scientific experiments rather than on a scientifically proven experiment. As such the method helps to improve food security and farmers' income as quantifiable crop yields are readily available to consumers and at the same time giving farmers a surplus of their revenue over cost.
Organic farming generally helps to maintain soil structure, texture and assuage microbial diversity loss as against the conventional system of farming which employs the input of synthetic chemicals, herbicides and pesticides. Recycled organics extracted from well-structured livestock operations and food waste possess sufficient nutrients that can improve crop quality and reduce overreliance on inorganic fertilizers. In line with this, the organic farming method can help minimise the adverse impact of chemicals on crop produce, the environment and the general well-being of humans and life stocks. Through this, crop produces are of higher quality in terms of nutrients, and the environment, farmers and other livestock are free from health-related threats that often complement the inorganic system of farming.
Conclusion
Conversations surrounding the adoption of an organic system of farming are becoming popular as people on a daily basis are becoming more conscious about their health and their environment. It is worth noting, that with the adoption of organic farming, agricultural produce could become healthier and also impact the environment in the most positive way. Despite the implementation cost often been seen as a major barrier to its adoption, is agreed that organic farming pose higher benefit to the environment than conventional system of farming because it has the potential to maintain soil fertility, health and water conservation, improve crop quality, health and yield, mitigate climate changes and minimise water contamination.
Similarly, it benefits the environment as it supports the concept of circular economy and sustainability as materials originating from organic production are applied in another field like agriculture to produce healthy food and reduce a chemically polluted environment.
To support this initiative, government entities and policy-making bodies should promote its adoption by offering incentives to current organic farmers, which could attract traditional farmers. Additionally, there should be specific awareness campaigns aimed at conventional farming practitioners and the general public to dispel the misconception of lower yields, potentially encouraging adoption and benefiting both the environment and the community.
Article written by: Frank Aisagbon
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