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ORGANIC FARMING: HELP PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

by Deborah Mitchell
organic farming

Organic farming is a type of sustainable agriculture in which no synthetic pesticides or conventional fertilizers are used. At organic farms, ecological balance is the abiding principle.

Organic food is more than a trendy industry that provides healthful produce to co-ops and upscale markets. Sustainable agriculture can help fight world hunger and some of its related challenges, including a dwindling safe water supply and pesticide contamination.

This promising news comes at a critical time:

  • The majority of the people who are chronically hungry in the world are small farmers and their families who depend on the land to give them the food they need to survive.
  • Use of pesticides and fertilizers has degraded the quality of water in agricultural areas. No standards exist for many of the pesticides used in agriculture, and the fact that mixtures of pesticides are commonly found in water supplies (as well as soil) increases the possibility they will harm human health, especially that of infants, the elderly, and the chronically ill, who are most susceptible to toxins.
  • In many regions where hunger is a major problem, water for agriculture is also scarce.
  • Pesticides used in conventional farming get into bodies of water, suffocate aquatic plants and animals, and accumulate in the food chain, eventually contaminating plants and animals that are consumed by humans and throwing off the environmental balance.

Sustainable agriculture methods, which include organic farming and crop rotation (the successive planting of different crops on the same land to enhance soil fertility and reduce pest and disease damage), are providing very satisfying results for many small farmers around the world. In 57 of the world's poorest regions, small farmers who use sustainable agriculture techniques have increased their yields by 71 percent, according to a February 2006 report by a team of international scientists who evaluated more than 280 agricultural projects in the world's poorest countries over a four-year period.

These farmers are experiencing other benefits as well:

  • Because farmers who practice sustainable agriculture methods use few or no pesticides, they can avoid that expense.
  • Organic farming also requires less water, because soils that are high in organic material are much more efficient at holding water than poorer soil. High-quality soil is better able to deal with drought conditions, a major consideration in many impoverished nations, especially in Africa.
  • Organic farming is often more labor intensive than conventional farming, especially in the beginning stages. However, because organic farming typically involves crop rotation throughout the year, farmers have more evenly distributed planting and harvesting schedules and better distribution of labor.
  • Crop rotation spreads out the risks of crop failure; it can also make farmers more competitive in the marketplace if they sell some of their produce, and provide them and their families with a more nutritious, varied diet.
  • Organic farming also allows farmers to help preserve their natural environment and enhance the land for future generations.

Farmers who traditionally have used conventional farming methods often require help in initiating, developing, and maintaining sustainable and organic farming techniques. The need for such help is typically sought by individuals who are most unable to afford it. That's where volunteers can help fill the gap.

Here are some organizations that can connect you with organic farms in-need:

When you get your hands dirty helping organic farmers, you also get the satisfaction of knowing you are helping people provide nutritious food for themselves and their families, enhance their environment today and for future generations, and perhaps even improve their economic situation.