Organic Farming - Organic Methods Of Maintaining Soil Tilth And Fertility, Organic Methods Of Managing Pests, Use Of Antibiotics And Growth Regulating Hormones
systems agriculture intensively using
Organic agriculture refers to systems in which crops are grown using natural methods of maintaining fertility of the soil, and methods of pest control other than the use of synthetic pesticides. Compared with conventional agriculture systems that intensively use manufactured fertilizers and pesticides, much smaller environmental costs and damages are associated with organic systems. However, yields tend to be smaller in organic agriculture than are obtained using more intensively managed systems. Overall, the balance of these considerations (that is, of environmental damage and yield) suggest that compared with more intensive agriculture, organic agricultural systems are much more sustainable of soil quality, ecological integrity, and energy and material resources.
Additional Topics
Soil fertility is a function of two major characteristics: the tilth of the soil, and the ability of the soil to supply essential nutrients to crop plants. Tilth refers to the physical structure of soil, and is strongly influenced by the concentration of humified organic matter. In soils with good tilth the ability to hold water is great, so that excessively rapid drainage is avoided and rainwater…
In agriculture, pests are any organisms that significantly interfere with the productivity of crop plants or animals. This can occur when insects eat foliage or stored produce, when bacteria or fungi cause plant or animal diseases, or when weeds interfere excessively with the growth of crop plants. In conventional agriculture, these negative influences of pests are usually managed using various ty…
In some types of intensive culture of agricultural livestock, animals are kept together under very crowded conditions, often inside large buildings in a poorly ventilated and smelly environment, and often continuously exposed to their manure and urine. Under these sorts of conditions animals are highly vulnerable to developing infections of various sorts, which ultimately cause reductions of growt…
The environmental damage and resource use associated with organic agriculture are much less than those of conventional agricultural systems. However, yields tend to be smaller, and the organically grown produce is often relatively expensive to the consumer. Overall, the balance of these two considerations suggests that society receives a positive net benefit from the use of organic agricultural sy…
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User Comments
about 1 year ago
this is a direct copy and paste from the gale encyclopedia of science. more specifically, the article on organic farming. citing this website instead is result in inaccuracies and i'm sure it's fraudulent somewhere down the line.