By Larry Marragay
The past few years have seen the resurgence of organic farming. People are now more receptive to the idea of organic farming because of its inherent health benefits and the fact that it’s better for the environment. For some farmers and gardening enthusiasts, organic farming is their way of going back to the original method of agriculture and rebelling against harmful additives in food and the chemicals that now deeply saturate our land and water resources. Organic farming works with nature and utilizes techniques like using compost, rotating crops and using organic pesticides and herbicides.
Farmers going organic don’t just allow nature to take over their farms. What a successful organic farmer does is to use everything he knows about farming and combine it with different techniques and materials that would work well with nature. Pesticides are still used even in this type of farming because of the benefits they provide and to ensure that every crop is protected. One of the benefits of using pesticides, whether it’s organic or chemical, is the increase in food production. Almost 40% of crops around the world are lost annually because of crop disease, pests and weeds. Using pesticides can cut down on these losses and give crops a better chance of surviving, resulting in increase food production. The use of pesticides to protect crops can also lead to a decrease in the cost of food. Food prices would naturally go up if food production goes down. The Law of Supply and Demand guarantees this. So protecting our crops through pesticides gives the added benefit of keeping food prices in check. And lastly, another major benefit for consumers would be the high quality of produce that will appear. Protecting crops through pesticides usually result in produce with good color and a firm texture that’s free from insect bites.
Organic farmers would naturally opt for using organic pesticides. These types of pesticides are obtained from natural sources like animals, bacteria, minerals and plants. Chemical pesticides, on the other hand, are man-made and composed of chemicals and other poisons. They are usually made from synthetic materials that either directly kill the pest or render it inactive. The use of chemical pesticides has a detrimental effect on both our health and the environment. And use of this type of pesticide spreads easily through the wind and causes water runoff, thereby contaminating our water supply and affecting fish and seafood. Residues of chemical pesticides are also found in produce and remain inside animals. Exposure to chemical pesticides are known to cause various health effects that range from a minor irritation of the eyes or skin to deadlier ones like cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, birth defects and fetal death. You should be aware that toxins from these pesticides do remain in the body and can build up in the liver.
Farmers and gardeners understand that diseases and pests in plants are an intrinsic part of nature. The goal is not to eradicate diseases and pests altogether (as this is impossible) but to keep a balance that we all can benefit from. A farmer can try and minimize crop disease and pests by choosing local varieties of crops since these are more resistant to diseases and pests. This is why the use of organic pesticides is generally safer and more beneficial. The ingredients used in them are naturally occurring and biodegradable. The environment is also protected since soil erosion is minimized and there’s no nutrient or chemical runoff that will affect the water supply. Farmers using organic pesticides grow produce that have higher levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. Organic produce is far healthier since it contains less or no agrochemical residues. So adults and children who consistently eat organically produced food have lower risk of neurological defects.
Farmers typically use different methods to maximize their crops and control weed and pest infestations. Some strategies that farmers usually employ would be to coordinate the time they plant crops to the seasons that pests are less damaging, companion planting crops with other plants that pests avoid like garlic and onion and to use crop rotation to break pest cycles. If pests are still a problem after doing all these things, then an organic pesticide can be used.
There are many different kinds of organic pesticides available in the market today. You can find them in your local hardware or in stores that specialize in gardening and farming supplies. You can also search for companies dealing with organic pesticides online and compare their uses and prices. Make sure you do your research first. Knowing what the most popular and effective organic pesticides are can help you make good decisions and yield great benefits. Some organic pesticides can also be found right in your own home. You can save time and money just by using products that are found in your kitchen or bathroom. Some of the popular and accessible ingredients in making your own homemade organic pesticide are cayenne peppers, charcoal, coffee grounds, detergent, lemon juice, soap, talcum powder and tobacco, just to name a few. There are even some easy to follow recipes for making organic pesticides that can be found on the Internet. One example is the Vinegar Fungicide. All you need to do to make this is to mix 3 tablespoons of an apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 gallon of water. Spray this mixture on your roses to get rid of black spots and other fungal diseases.
While technology has greatly benefited our lives, we should also consider the price that we and our children have to pay for them. Going organic produces food that safer and healthier to eat, it helps local farmers and helps in conserving our natural resources. Using organic pesticides will help sustain these benefits and should be continuously encouraged. So whether or not you’re a farmer who wants to go back to a more natural way of life or just a gardener who loves all things that grow, organic pesticides are the better choice.
The past few years have seen the resurgence of organic farming. People are now more receptive to the idea of organic farming because of its inherent health benefits and the fact that it’s better for the environment. For some farmers and gardening enthusiasts, organic farming is their way of going back to the original method of agriculture and rebelling against harmful additives in food and the chemicals that now deeply saturate our land and water resources. Organic farming works with nature and utilizes techniques like using compost, rotating crops and using organic pesticides and herbicides.
Farmers going organic don’t just allow nature to take over their farms. What a successful organic farmer does is to use everything he knows about farming and combine it with different techniques and materials that would work well with nature. Pesticides are still used even in this type of farming because of the benefits they provide and to ensure that every crop is protected. One of the benefits of using pesticides, whether it’s organic or chemical, is the increase in food production. Almost 40% of crops around the world are lost annually because of crop disease, pests and weeds. Using pesticides can cut down on these losses and give crops a better chance of surviving, resulting in increase food production. The use of pesticides to protect crops can also lead to a decrease in the cost of food. Food prices would naturally go up if food production goes down. The Law of Supply and Demand guarantees this. So protecting our crops through pesticides gives the added benefit of keeping food prices in check. And lastly, another major benefit for consumers would be the high quality of produce that will appear. Protecting crops through pesticides usually result in produce with good color and a firm texture that’s free from insect bites.
Organic farmers would naturally opt for using organic pesticides. These types of pesticides are obtained from natural sources like animals, bacteria, minerals and plants. Chemical pesticides, on the other hand, are man-made and composed of chemicals and other poisons. They are usually made from synthetic materials that either directly kill the pest or render it inactive. The use of chemical pesticides has a detrimental effect on both our health and the environment. And use of this type of pesticide spreads easily through the wind and causes water runoff, thereby contaminating our water supply and affecting fish and seafood. Residues of chemical pesticides are also found in produce and remain inside animals. Exposure to chemical pesticides are known to cause various health effects that range from a minor irritation of the eyes or skin to deadlier ones like cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, birth defects and fetal death. You should be aware that toxins from these pesticides do remain in the body and can build up in the liver.
Farmers and gardeners understand that diseases and pests in plants are an intrinsic part of nature. The goal is not to eradicate diseases and pests altogether (as this is impossible) but to keep a balance that we all can benefit from. A farmer can try and minimize crop disease and pests by choosing local varieties of crops since these are more resistant to diseases and pests. This is why the use of organic pesticides is generally safer and more beneficial. The ingredients used in them are naturally occurring and biodegradable. The environment is also protected since soil erosion is minimized and there’s no nutrient or chemical runoff that will affect the water supply. Farmers using organic pesticides grow produce that have higher levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. Organic produce is far healthier since it contains less or no agrochemical residues. So adults and children who consistently eat organically produced food have lower risk of neurological defects.
Farmers typically use different methods to maximize their crops and control weed and pest infestations. Some strategies that farmers usually employ would be to coordinate the time they plant crops to the seasons that pests are less damaging, companion planting crops with other plants that pests avoid like garlic and onion and to use crop rotation to break pest cycles. If pests are still a problem after doing all these things, then an organic pesticide can be used.
There are many different kinds of organic pesticides available in the market today. You can find them in your local hardware or in stores that specialize in gardening and farming supplies. You can also search for companies dealing with organic pesticides online and compare their uses and prices. Make sure you do your research first. Knowing what the most popular and effective organic pesticides are can help you make good decisions and yield great benefits. Some organic pesticides can also be found right in your own home. You can save time and money just by using products that are found in your kitchen or bathroom. Some of the popular and accessible ingredients in making your own homemade organic pesticide are cayenne peppers, charcoal, coffee grounds, detergent, lemon juice, soap, talcum powder and tobacco, just to name a few. There are even some easy to follow recipes for making organic pesticides that can be found on the Internet. One example is the Vinegar Fungicide. All you need to do to make this is to mix 3 tablespoons of an apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 gallon of water. Spray this mixture on your roses to get rid of black spots and other fungal diseases.
While technology has greatly benefited our lives, we should also consider the price that we and our children have to pay for them. Going organic produces food that safer and healthier to eat, it helps local farmers and helps in conserving our natural resources. Using organic pesticides will help sustain these benefits and should be continuously encouraged. So whether or not you’re a farmer who wants to go back to a more natural way of life or just a gardener who loves all things that grow, organic pesticides are the better choice.
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