You stroll with your cart through the local grocery store. You pass past aisles of options, eventually reaching the produce section. It’s almost overwhelming, rainbow colors bedazzling wooden carts. Sequestered into a small portion of the store, the area is overflowing with hues of greens, reds, and yellows, vegetables and fruits adorning baskets. Each item is listed in variances, from various colors of peppers to variants in flavor and sweetness amongst grapes. Baskets overflow, and your eyes are drawn to endless varieties. But arguably among the more prevalent variances: organic and inorganic. These labels reference the method of farming with which the produce has been cultivated. Organic farming is a better alternative to the standard chemical method.
Organic farming, according to Britannica, is defined as a “system of crop cultivation that uses biological methods of fertilization and pest control as substitutes for chemical fertilizers.” In contrast, standard “inorganic” chemical farming is, according to Cambridge University, “modern agriculture with high yielding seeds genetically modified for high yield (hybrid seeds), syndetic pesticides and chemicals to increase production per unit of land.” While both have their merits and demerits, organic farming is ultimately more sustainable for the planet as a whole.
While initially, standard chemical farming may seem to have more benefits, organic farming is ultimately more sustainable. Oftentimes, the most prevalent argument for chemical farming is its increased effectiveness. However, while at first there may be “increased production per unit of land,” the nature of chemical farming drains the soil of its nutrients and ultimately fails to replenish them. This ultimately results in a loss of effectiveness over time. A PDF of a study by ResearchGate states, “Though chemical fertilizers increase crop production; their overuse has hardened the soil, decreased fertility, strengthened pesticides, polluted air and water, and released greenhouse gases, thereby bringing hazards to human health and environment as well.”
A common argument against farming is the environmental byproducts it perpetuates. As fertilizers are applied within the land, they not only help it, but can also negatively impact the environ As fertilizers spread from the original soil they were planted on to water sources via runoff, they can pollute natural bodies of water. An example of this would be through the runoff fertilizer promoting rapid growth of algae, which utilizes all the oxygen in the water and does not leave enough for other wildlife–a process called eutrophication. However, this happens with both chemical and organic fertilizer, oftentimes the organic fertilizer having a larger runoff as more is applied. Despite this, organic farming has environmental benefits including the ability to reduce erosion in the environment. Soil erosion may lead to destabilization of ecosystems and mass pollution, meaning that avoiding this is key to maintaining a healthy environment. Both chemical and organic fertilizers may impact the environment negatively, but that is only one factor of many in consideration when choosing to go organic, standard, or organic. There are a multitude of factors to consider in any decision, and it is importantly to analyze them from all aspects to make a final decision. Ultimately, organic farming remains a more sustainable method for the planet.
