Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic and Conventional Farming

Recently, in my Environmental Science class, we have been discussing organic farming. To enhance our understanding of organic agriculture, my Environmental Science Lab and I visited a farm titled Red Clay Farm, which is a certified organic. This location grows produce without GMO seeds. Moreover, they change their crops, rotating greens beans, corn, potatoes, arugula, and assorted salad greens. In terms of equipment, they utilize a Tyrolean stone mill. In addition to growing organically and using a machine that creates organic stoneground milled grains, they have a fiber farm, which involves alpacas, Jacob sheep, goats, and dogs and nurture an assortment of chickens. Having this experience, raised some questions: what are the pros and cons of organic farming and conventional farming, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of growing locally and further away?

Organic farming does not depend on synthetic fertilizer, GMOs, pesticides, but while in most cases it may sound like the best choice, like all methods, it has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the pros of farming organically is its nutritional value. When foods are organic, they may be more nutritious. The reasoning behind this is that they do not contain altered chemicals, and can grow in the best natural, healthy environments. Furthermore, organic farming is better for the environment. For example, based on what I have learned in class and my experience during the trip to Red Clay Farm, organic farming causes a decrease of pollution in water because it reduced the number of harmful chemicals that drain into waterways. Also, it is environment-friendly because it improves soil structure by decreasing the risk of soil erosion. Another advantage is that it allows farmers, like Ron at Red Clay Farm, have diversity in the foods they grow. Switching to organic farming is also beneficial because it assists in lowering our ecological footprint due to the fact it uses no pesticides and fertilizers, consumes less energy, and supports the welfare wildlife on farms. However, while organic agriculture may have its advantages, it also contains some disadvantages.

From my trip and lecture, I found that farming organically can have an assortment of negative factors. For example, organic agriculture requires more time and skill When visiting the farm, the farmer, Ron, informed us that organic farming takes up more than fifty percent of his time because producing crops involves a lot of commitment and interaction to grow them effectively. Also, organic farmers must be more experienced and trained because they must use close observation and be more knowledgeable about the process of production. When considering the community, organic farming may not be prevalent because it is more costly. Nevertheless, not only does organic farming have pros and cons but so does conventional agriculture.

While organic farming depends on fewer chemicals, conventional farming relies on synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides to combat weeds, kill pests and supply nutrition to plants. With traditional farming, however, comes pros and cons. Some positive aspects of farming conventional are that it has a lot of job opportunities and a lesser cost in terms of produce and farming. Since farmers may utilize more significant land areas for agriculture, possible farm laborers will be granted work more efficiently due to the fact farmers will require more assistance. Additionally, while farmers who grow organically use more expensive fertilizing methods, conventional farmers might utilize a cheaper approach, such as synthetic chemical fertilizers, and conventionally grown foods are usually less costly because of the products can be produced at a lower cost. However, the disadvantages of conventional farming raise significant concerns.

On the subject of conventional farming weaknesses, I found that it presents health risks for animals and humans, creates adverse effects on the environment, and causes pests to become resistant to pesticides. In regards to the well-being of human and animals, the chemicals used by conventional farmers can enter animals and humans when they eat the foods, exposing them to potential health problems. Traditional farming is also bad for the environment because the use of harmful chemicals can lead to land, water and even air pollution in the surrounding area when the chemicals leak into nearby waterways and filter into the air. Furthermore, another drawback of conventional farming is that pests can become resistant to the pesticide, encouraging farmers to utilize more extreme methods. These harsh actions involve higher doses and more toxic chemicals. Just as organic and conventional farming has pros and cons, so does growing food locally and farther away.

When discussing locally grown food, I found that a few disadvantages and advantages. For instance, producing locally grown food is beneficial based on the fact that it supports local communities and helps them thrive. Mover, locally grown foods provide fresh, healthy options for consumers. Also, since it is grown locally, it decreases the miles it takes to get food from one location to another, ultimately reducing its carbon footprint. However, some drawbacks of foods that are locally produced are that they are more expensive and not produced utilizing industrial agricultural means, making it more labor demanding. Additionally, food grown in local areas may not offer a big selection, since the choices differ by season, which results in some individuals being unable to find what they want. When producing foods farther away, nonetheless, the pros and cons are different.

As for producing foods farther away, some advantages would be that having food produced far away enhances diversity in our diets. While locally grown foods may be healthier, they do not offer a variety of foods; therefore, producing food far away gives people more options and a reliable source of food. However, food that is grown far away tends to be less expensive, making it affordable for those who cannot spend money on organically grown food.

Moreover, food produce far away relies on transportation; hence, when food must travel long distances, not only does its food miles increase but so does its carbon footprint, which is the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by a person, company, nation, and an activity.

Overall, I feel as though my experience at Red Clay Farm was an amazing encounter that assisted me educationally and personally. For example, having a personal experience with an organic individual truly enhanced my knowledge of not only organic agriculture but also conventional farming, allowing me to connect what I learned in class to a real-life circumstance. To clarify, I was able to understand the pros and cons of each farming methods better and see how much more sustainable organic farming is because of this real-life example. Furthermore, because of this experience, I have made it a goal to start buying locally. This trip was an eye-opening event that I hope future classes get the chance to experience.