Organic Farming

Many people believe that organically grown foods are safer or more nutritious than the same foods grown using conventional agricultural systems. In large part, these beliefs are influenced by the occurrence of trace contamination of non-organic foods with pesticides, antibiotics, or growth hormones. Although this topic is highly controversial, it is important to understand that scientific studies have not yet convincingly demonstrated that organically grown foods are indeed safer or more nutritious than conventional agricultural produce.

From the environmental perspective, the most important differences between food grown by organic and conventional methods is in the resulting environmental effects of the agricultural systems. Organic agricultural systems result in less use of non-renewable resources of energy and materials, in better health of the agricultural ecosystem, and in enhanced sustainability of the agricultural enterprise.