For thousands of years, agricultural is a natural process that did not harm the land. In fact, farmers were able to pass down their land for many generations and it would still be fertile as ever. However, modern agricultural practices have started the process of agricultural pollution. This process causes the degradation of the eco-system, land and environment due to the modern day by-products of agriculture.

 

 

Environmental degradation and the need to address climate change are among the most serious problems facing the planet earth today. Organic farming helps mitigate several environmental problems which have become a challenge in this changing climatic scenario. Conventional agriculture strongly alters soil quality due to industrial practices that often have negative effect on soil life (Henneron et al 2015).

 

The use of pesticides in conventional farming is one of the reasons of increasing environmental pollution. Once pesticides have been sprayed, it does not disappear completely. Some of it mixes with the water and seeps into the ground. The rest of is absorbed by the plant itself. As a result, the local streams that are supplied water from the ground become contaminated, as do the animals that eat these crops and plants. Water pollution due to nitrogen (N) is recognized as a significant environmental threat by scientists, environmental groups, and policymakers. Exceeding level of nitrates (a derivative of nitrogen) in drinking water may also lead to serious health risks particularly for pregnant women and infants. Nitrogen based fertilizers are widely used in agriculture and constitute the primary source of N pollution. In Europe, the use of nitrogen fertilizers peaked in the 80s. Nowadays, there is a clear need to develop new agricultural fertilization practices that limit N pollution. N pollution is limited in organic fields compared to conventional fields. This result highlights how a change in agricultural practice can lead to a more sustainable development (Kumar et al 2006).  Contaminated water used for irrigation is one further source of pollution. Much of the water we use comes from ground water reservoirs, canals and through the rains. While plenty of it is clean and pure water, other sources are polluted with organic compounds and heavy metals. This happens due to the disposal of industrial and agricultural waste in local bodies of water.

 

 

Organic farming on the other hand, does not allow the use of chemical and is therefore regarded as a prototype to enhance the sustainability of modern agriculture while decreasing environmental impacts. Different natural resources which otherwise would be wasted like green leaves, cattle manure, legume hay etc are used to produce manure for the farming. Crop rotation is done to increase the fertility of the soil with using chemical fertilizers. Vermicompost is also a natural way of recycling organic nutrients from dead tissues back to living organism. The excreta of the earthworm (vermicompost) is very rich in humus and nutrients and is very healthy to crops.

 

 

 

Source:  http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_introduction.htm

 

Organic  farming  has  a  potential  to  fulfill  the  food  requirement  of  the  world  with sustainable  resource utilization.  Organic  farming   plays a role towards sustainable utilization of resources in food production as well as development with less pollution and contribution to the green house gases; ultimately climate change. Recent research  in  the  field  concluded  that organic  farming  is better  equipped  to  feed us now  and well  into  the  ever  changing  future. As Organic  yields match  conventional  yields, Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought, Organic farming uses 45%  less energy and is more efficient, Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases, Organic farming systems are more profitable  than conventional and most  important organic  farming  systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter which supports the soil micro, meso and macro fauna  and  makes  the  soil  a  living  body;  making  it  a  more  sustainable  system.  Organic farming offers a unique combination of environmentally-sound practices with low external inputs while contributing to food availability. To avoid ill effects of the conventional farming system  it’s an urgent need  to adopt  the organic  farming practices,  it not only  improves  the health  of  human  community  by  providing  safe  food  but  also  has  the  potential  to mitigate climate  change  mostly  claimed  on  the  basis  of  assumptions  concerning  the  soil  carbon sequestration  potential  of  organic  management.  Organic farming  is the way  towards sustainable development of mankind.

 

 

References

Kramer S. B. et al. (2006) « Reduced nitrate leaching and enhanced denitrifier activity and efficiency in organically fertilized soils», Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(12): 4522-4527.

 

Henneron et al 2015.fourteen years of evidence for positive effect of conservation agriculture and organic farming on soil life.35, 169-181