India’s future in farming: A leap towards a healthy nation
Organic or conventional farming: Which way will lead to a healthy nation?
The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.
India’s main occupation is agriculture. But the agricultural occupation is underappreciated. We don’t even think about how the fruits, vegetables and grains reach our plates. How are they grown? Are chemicals used that seep into the soil? Are they losing nutrition? Can they be of better quality?
70% of the rural household depend on agriculture to earn a living. That’s how reliant India is on farming which is why it is important to do it right.
Conventional farming is the method of farming that involves using pesticides and other chemicals to get the highest possible yield of crops. However, using this method compromises crop quality.
On the other hand, organic fresh produce is grown and processed without the use of conventional or synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, GMOs, sewage sludge, irradiation, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Organic farming is focused on creating healthy ecosystems and a healthy environment so that the crops can flourish without conventional chemicals.
Organic Farming vs Conventional Farming At a Glance
| Organic Farming | Conventional Farming | |
| Land exhaustion | Use of natural fertilisers, crop rotation improves soil quality. | The land and soil quality degrade over time because of the use of artificial pesticides. |
| Fertilisers | Only natural fertilisers like manure, compost, etc. are used. | Artificial fertilisers like DDT are used. |
| Nutrient quality | The food is higher in nutrients. | There is a nutrient loss. Sometimes significant. |
| Impact on soil | The soil remains fertile. | The soil becomes infertile due to exploitation. |
| Impact on the environment | Organic farming is sustainable and respects the environment. | Not sustainable; has a toxic effect. |
| GMOs | Genetically modified organisms are not used or encouraged. | Genetically modified organisms are used to increase crop yield. |
| Health safety | Crops grown through this method do not cause any damage to human or animal health. | Crops grown through this method can be detrimental to health. |
| Animal cruelty | There is no animal cruelty. | Often inject antibiotics in livestock. |
| Farming methods | Use of mixed crops, crop rotation, companion planting etc. retains soil quality. | The farming methods are focused only on increasing the yield and improving the economy. That is not good for the land or the future. |
| Lifestyle change for farmers | It’s for the better. | It spells doom. Chemical agriculture is a threat to their livelihoods. |
Numerous reports have emphasized the need for major changes in the global food system, agriculture must meet the twin challenge of feeding a growing population.
However, critics argue that organic agriculture may have lower yields and would therefore need more land to produce the same amount of food as conventional farms, resulting in more widespread deforestation and biodiversity loss, and thus undermining the environmental benefits of organic practices
To establish organic agriculture as an important tool in sustainable food production, the factors limiting organic yields need to be more fully understood, alongside assessments of the many social, environmental and economic benefits of organic farming systems.
The concept of sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals—environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. The concept of sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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