Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
The Organic Way
Here in the United States, organic farming has been practiced since the late 1940’s . To
the average American, including myself at one time, organic farming is defined as growing
fruits, vegetables, or plants without the use of harmful pesticides, chemicals, or inorganic
fertilizers. While this statement may be true, it doesn’t uncover the extent of the impacts of
organic farming. Even from this definition, many people still believe that organic farming is a
waste of time and that its effects on the environment are minimal. The thing that these people
don’t realize is the impacts that organic farming has made not just in the U.S., but also
worldwide. In this paper, I hope to provide accurate information about organic farming, expand
upon the notion that organic farming “only” does not use harmful chemicals, and I hope to
explain all of the impacts that organic farming has made on the environment globally and
locally.
Organic agriculture: Now as productive?
Recent studies indicate that organic farms now yield the same or more than
conventional farms. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Agricultural firm
AGSTAT performed 8 -13 year studies with the crops corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa. The
studies compared differences between organically grown crops and conventionally grown
crops. In both systems corn, soybeans, and wheat were rotated with alfalfa . The crop rotation
was the same in both fields to keep the variables limited to get an accurate report . The study
Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
concluded that all organic crops yielded at least 90 % the amount that the conventional crops
yielded. From an economic standpoint, the conventional farms still have a slight edge on
organic farms. However, that 10 % edge seems to level out once all of the costs are figured into
the equation. Keep in mind that the conventional farms were sprayed with pesticides, and used
inorganic fertilizer. As recent prices of corn and soybeans have shifted upward, the result has
an extreme jump in the price of fertilizer. More farmers want to plant crops, which will increase
the demand for fertilizer and pesticides. According to Farm Business Management Association
of Illinois, conventional farmers should expect to spend about $127 per acre for
pesticides/fertilizer for a field of soybeans, and $260 per acre for a field of corn . The average
cost per acre between 2003 and 2007 was $52 for a field of soybeans and $115 for a field of
corn. Prices have easily doubled over the past 2-6 years, and even as recent commodity prices
have stabilized, there are no signs of fertilizer prices coming down anytime soon. As these
prices continue to climb, the economic gap between organic and conventional farming will
continue to close. The extremely high input costs may eventually make it more appealing to go
organic, or at least make farmers think about planting small organic fields. Moreover,
technology for organic weed control systems continues to be refined and improved.
Global Impacts
Organic farming has extended its impacts to the global level. Unlike conventional
farming, organic farming does not contribute to global warming. In fact, organic farming helps
Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
combat global warming. Instead of emitting carbon into the atmosphere, organics trap the
carbon dioxide and it goes into the soil. As a result, more organic matter is created because
organic matter is primarily made of carbon. As more organic matter is created, the soil becomes
richer and more fertile on its own. How much of an impact would this actually have on the
environment? According to the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, agriculture accounts for
13.2 % of all greenhouse gas emissions. If all 431 million acres of conventional cropland in the
U.S. was converted to organic cropland, it would have the same effect as taking over 158
million cars off the road!(Rodale Institute) Some advocates of organic farming believe that
converting to organics could have the same, or greater, impacts on curbing greenhouse gas
emissions than reforestation. Organic farming can actually trap and hold carbon longer and
more efficiently. Not only can organic farming trap carbon, but it can also make the soil
stronger and resistant. The use of artificial fertilizers can make the soils weaker by inhibiting
natural phosphate and potassium growth in the soils. Having these components in the soil
make it more durable and resistant to water and wind erosion . This can be very essential,
especially to places that have been vulnerable to desertification. A prime example would be in
the outer reaches of the Sahel. Agriculture around this region has been devastated by wind
erosion and drought. Having a stronger, sturdier soil could be just enough to stop the Sahel
from drying up and becoming a desert.
Local Impacts
Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
Locally, organic farms can help local economies and food distribution as well . Organic
farming is labor intensive, which allows local jobs to open up. The farms are small, versatile,
and can be managed on small plots of land including an urban setting. As more organic farms
open up, the cost of organic food will be cheaper as there will be more organics available . Small
Urban Organic farms such as Growing Power won’t have to take into account transportation
costs; they will have smaller input costs, and little to no storage costs. This means that the cost
to produce organic foods will be lower, so therefore it will be cheaper to buy since organic
farms won’t have to charge as much to make a profit. Since organic farms can be placed in
urban settings, the food distribution in urban areas can be spread out more evenly . This will
especially help out the poorer and poverty stricken areas in and around cities. Instead of being
forced to pay money for public transportation to go to a grocery store, many people will be
allowed to walk to their nearest organic farm. Instead of being forced to go to grocery stores
where owners decide where the food gets shipped to, people can actually have a choice to go
to fresh markets, where everything is grown and sold at the farm . Not only can this give people
a sense of relief by knowing where the food is coming from, but it may also bring smaller urban
neighborhoods together. People in the neighborhood realize that the farm is located in their
neighborhood to provide food for them. Knowing that the food was planted and grown for
them and not by randomness can give the community a sense of identity and togetherness . At
the very minimum, the overall mood of neighborhoods in poverty can increase with the
Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
addition of a small organic farm. The people of the community will at least know that someone
is doing something positive to try and help the neighborhood out .
Headed in the right direction?
Efforts to incorporate organic food into the mainstream U.S. and other parts of the
world are starting to rapidly grow. According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic
food and beverages in the U.S. have increased from $1 billion in 1990 to $20 billion in 2007.
They are expected to continue to climb at an average rate of 18 % per year through at least
2010. Now, approximately 1 in 10 Americans eat organic foods and use organic products on a
regular basis. More Americans are realizing that it is not only good for your body to consume
and use organics, but it is also good for the environment. While it is good that more Americans
are consuming and using organic food and products, there is still a lot of room for organics to
grow. The U.S. organic movement is not growing as fast as it is in other places such as Western
Europe. The European Union has been emphasizing a shift towards organics for many years
now. The E.U. gives benefits and subsidies to those who undertake in organic farming
operations. The U.S., on the other hand, is taking a free market approach . Farmers are not
encouraged or discouraged to grow organic crops. The radical approach by the E.U. has spurred
the growth of organic products. There are about 7.8 million hectares of organic farmland in
Europe. This accounts for about 4 % of all the farmland! There is only 2 .2 million hectares in all
of North America. In fact, only 0.6% of farmland in the U.S. is organic.
Dustin Miller
Service Learning Project
Geog. 125
4-29
Ultimately, it is safe to say that it is time to make a radical shift to organic farming.
There is really no point not to plant more organic farms. With the ever increasing input costs of
conventional farming, and the fact that organic farms yield more crops over longer periods of
time, organic farming is becoming an economically viable option. On top of this, organic farms
will not pollute the environment, nor will they pollute secondary by way of pesticide or
inorganic fertilizer runoff. In fact, organic farming could actually combat global warming by
holding in more carbon. Moreover, organic farms will help with distribution of food across
urban areas will help poorer areas have better access to food. With all of the good things that
organic farming has to offer, I’m very surprised that the United States doesn’t offer incentives
for people to go organic. It has been stereotyped that all of the work, cost, and labor is not
worth the financial result that comes out in the end . This may have been true 15 years ago.
However, with the skyrocketing input prices of conventional farming combined with higher
yielding organic farms, I believe that the U.S. and other parts of the world will find it necessary
to undergo a transformation into organics.