What Is Organic Agriculture?

Organic agriculture refers to the farming/planting industry in which synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators and livestock and poultry feed additives are completely or basically not used in production, and organic fertilizers are used to meet the nutritional needs of crops, or organic feed is used to meet Nutritional needs livestock and poultry in aquaculture. The development of organic agriculture can help solve a series of problems brought by modern agriculture, such as serious soil erosion and land quality decline, environmental pollution and energy consumption caused by the extensive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and the reduction of species diversity. It has great development potential for increasing farmers' income and developing rural economy.

What is organic agriculture?

Organic agriculture follows certain organic agricultural production standards, does not use genetically engineered organisms and their products, and does not use chemically synthesized pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, feed additives and other substances, and follows natural laws and ecological principles. , to coordinate the balance of planting and aquaculture, and adopt a series of sustainable agricultural technologies to maintain a sustainable and stable agricultural production system. In fact, there are many farms today that are planted in the same way, but with different concepts.
organic agriculture
The term "organic farming" first appeared in Lord Northbourne's book Look to the Land, published in 1940. In fact, however, organic farming is the oldest form of agriculture. Before the end of World War II, farmers had no choice but to have chemicals (synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) derived from oil. It was later discovered that the technologies invented during the war were useful in agricultural production. For example, ammonium nitrate, a chemical used as an explosive, was transformed into a fertilizer, and organophosphorus compounds, used as nerve gases, were later used as pesticides.

New definition
More recently, farmers are turning back to organic farming, but today's organic farming employs an ecologically focused systems approach that includes long-term planning, detailed track records, and large investments in equipment and ancillary facilities. Although the industry is still small, the number of U.S. farmers engaged in organic farming is growing at an annual rate of about 12 percent, and there are now more than 12,000 people in the United States.

Benefits of organic farming

Compared with current agriculture, organic agriculture has the following characteristics:

(1) It can provide the society with non-polluting, good-tasting, safe and environmentally friendly food, which is beneficial to people's health and reduces the occurrence of diseases.

The large-scale application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, while greatly increasing the output of agricultural products, inevitably causes pollution to agricultural products and leaves hidden dangers to human survival and life. At present, the great increase of human diseases, especially the great increase of various types of cancer, is closely related to the pollution of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In the past, there was a phenomenon of "talking about food and color change" in some places. Organic agriculture does not use chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and other industrial wastes and municipal wastes that may cause pollution. Therefore, its products are very safe to eat and of good quality, which is beneficial to protect human health.

(2) Organic farming can reduce environmental pollution and help restore ecological balance.

At present, the utilization rate of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is very low. Generally, nitrogen fertilizers are only 20-40%, and the adhesion rate of pesticides on crops does not exceed 10-30%. The rest flow into the environment in large quantities, causing pollution. For example, a large number of chemical fertilizers enter the rivers and lakes to cause eutrophication of water bodies and affect the survival of fish. While killing bacteria and pests, pesticides also increase the resistance of pests and diseases, killing beneficial organisms and some neutral organisms. As a result, pests and diseases are rampant again, and the amount of pesticides is increasing and the number of applications is increasing. , into a vicious circle. Switching to organic agricultural production methods can reduce pollution and help restore ecological balance.

(3) It is beneficial to improve the international competitiveness of my country's agricultural products and increase foreign exchange income.

With my country's accession to the WTO, the role of tariff regulation on the international trade of agricultural products has become less and less, but the production environment, planting methods and internal quality control of agricultural products have become more and more important (the so-called non-tariff trade barriers). products can break the barriers. Organic agricultural products are internationally recognized as high-quality, non-polluting and environmentally friendly products. Therefore, the development of organic agriculture will improve the competitiveness of my country's agricultural products in the international market and increase foreign exchange earnings.

(4) Conducive to increasing rural employment, farmers' income, and raising the level of agricultural production.

Organic agriculture is a labor-intensive and knowledge-intensive industry. It is a systematic project. It requires a lot of labor input, as well as a lot of knowledge and technology input. Otherwise, especially the problem of pests and diseases is difficult to solve, and a new concept is required. The price of organic agricultural food in the international market is usually 20-50% higher than that of common products, and some are more than double the price. Therefore, the development of organic agriculture can increase rural employment, increase farmers' income, improve the level of agricultural production, and promote sustainable rural development. 

Types of organic farming...