Introduction
Organic farming is a controversial topic since the opinions on this issue are split. Organic food is grown and produced using natural methods, and it is believed that such products are safer and more nutritious than conventionally processed ones due to the rejection of the use of any artificial additives or chemicals. The purpose of this discussion is to provide arguments to prove that organic food should not be promoted.
Arguments
There is limited evidence proving that organic foods are healthier and have a greater nutritional value than conventionally produced products (Smith-Spangler et al. 2012). In addition, conventional farming makes effective use of land to grow crops enough for feeding the nation. Meanwhile, organic farming requires a greater amount of land to produce a similar amount of food. It is quite likely that organic farming may become the cause of further environmental degradation (Clark & Tilman 2017).
Moreover, organic fruit and vegetables should be grown without the use of pesticides and dangerous chemicals, which means that farmers should resort to fertilisers that are often synthetic. Out-of-season crops are another issue since they are actively consumed by the population. Their availability in the market requires the use of energy-intensive methods, which is inappropriate for organic farming.
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that organic food should not be promoted from the farmers’ point of view. One of the main disadvantages of organic farming is a pronounced yield gap, which can be minimised through greater land use that causes environmental degradation as a consequence. In addition, lower energy consumption does not imply that this strategy will lead to reduced emissions. Moreover, organic food production is closely tied to seasonality and location, which means that it will be difficult to provide the nation with the necessary amount of food.
Reference List
Clark, M & Tilman, D 2017, ‘Comparative analysis of environmental impacts of agricultural production systems, agricultural input efficiency, and food choice’, Environmental Research Letters, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 1-11.
Smith-Spangler, C, Brandeau, ML, Hunter, GE, Bavinger, JC, Pearson, M, Eschbach, PJ, Sundaram, V, Liu, H, Schirmer, P, Stave, C, Olkin, I & Bravata, DM 2012, ‘Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives?: a systematic review’, Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 157, no. 5, pp. 348-366.