Organic orGo

Conventional?Organic or

Go

Conventional?

By Esther Homrich

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Chapter One

Differing Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter Two

Conventional Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter Three

Organic Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter Four

A Better Way? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Chapter One

Differing OpinionsChapter One

Differing Opinions

More than ever, people are trying to maintain healthier diets. They also want to live in a cleaner environment. For many of these people, organic farming may be the answer. In organic farming, food is grown in a natural way. Farmers do not use chemical pesticides, fertilizers, or weed killers. Organic food is becoming very popular. It may change the way food is grown and sold. People have different ideas about organic food. Some people think that organic food is a waste of time, money, and land. Others think that organic food is better for people and the planet.

Organic produce

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Chapter Two

Conventional FarmingChapter Two

Conventional Farming

Most food around the world is grown on conventional farms. On these farms, only one type of crop is grown. For example, large fields contain only corn, wheat, or soybeans. Growing only one type of crop puts a lot of stress on the land. It takes nutrients out of the soil. Therefore, conventional farmers have to use many chemicals. These chemical fertilizers put the nutrients back into the soil.

Growing one type of crop creates another problem. It makes it easier for pests to attack the plants. Many kinds of insects eat crops. These include beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Snails and slugs eat crops, too. Conventional farmers use pesticides to fight pests. They spray chemicals that kill pests.

Weeds are also harmful to farm fields. They can crowd crops and steal nutrients from the soil. On conventional farms, farmers use chemicals to kill weeds.

Food animals are also raised on conventional farms. Cows, pigs, and chickens may be raised in huge buildings. They are not allowed to go outside or get any exercise. They are fed food that the farmers buy. They are given medicines to keep them free of disease and to make them grow faster.

These cows are being raised on a conventional farm.

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Fertilizers, pesticides, and weed killers help conventional farmers grow more crops. However, these chemicals also get into the soil. They run off of farm fields and into streams, rivers, and lakes. There, they can harm other animals, such as birds, fish, and frogs. Chemicals can also get into people’s bodies when they eat food. They can also harm the people who pick the crops. Over a long time, these chemicals can cause people and animals to become very sick.

When fertilizers get into bodies of water, they can cause too much algae to grow. Too much algae blocks the light, which in turn kills plants.

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Chapter Three

Organic FarmingChapter Three

Organic Farming

About two percent of the food grown today is organic. This means it is grown without chemicals. On organic farms, farmers plant a variety of crops that grow well together. Another way some farmers keep the soil healthy is by letting a field rest for one year. They don’t plant anything on it. That way, the soil gets its nutrients back naturally. The soil stays healthy. An organic farmer also plants crops that put nutrients back into the soil instead of taking them out.

Organic farmers also use natural substances to enrich the soil. These include compost, mulch, and manure. Compost and mulch are mostly plant waste. If mulch is allowed to break down, it becomes compost. Manure is the solid waste of plant-eating animals, such as cows and horses. Compost and manure are full of nutrients. Organic farmers spread compost and manure on their fields. This puts nutrients back into the soil.

Organic farmers try to control weeds and pests. They do not use poisons, though. They use natural means. They plant crops that cover the ground and keep weeds from growing. They can also cover the ground with mulch. They pull weeds by hand or with machines.

Many of the ways organic farmers enrich the soil and keep weeds away also keep pests away from their crops. Crops growing in rich, healthy soil can protect themselves from pests better than conventional crops can. Organic farm fields are also healthier for animals that eat pests. These include birds, toads, bats, and some kinds of insects. With a healthy variety of animals and plants, pests are controlled naturally. When organic farmers do have problems with pests, they put nets over their crops. Sometimes they may have to kill pests. For that, they use only poisons made from natural sources.

Compost heap

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Chapter Four

A Better Way?Chapter Four

A Better Way?

Organic farms do not produce harmful chemical waste. They do not contain chemicals that can poison people. Organically grown plants are healthier than conventional crops. Some even claim they taste better. Organically grown animals eat natural foods and are not kept in small pens. They are healthier than animals on conventional farms.

If organic food is so good, why isn’t all food grown this way? Some people claim that organic farming costs too much. Organic farming does cost more. It costs more to hire people to help than it does to use chemicals. However, there are also costs from conventional farming. For example, it costs to clean up harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

Some people also question the safety of organic food. They point out that manure and compost can contain harmful bacteria. However, manure and compost are safe if they break down completely. Some people think organic farms cannot produce enough food for the growing world population. Studies have shown, however, that organic farms can produce as much food as conventional farms.

There are two sides to every argument. Which food would you rather eat? Would you choose conventional or organic?

Both organic and conventional foods for sale in markets

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GlossaryGlossary

compost: (noun) plant waste that is broken down and added to soil to make it better.

conventional: (adjective) usual.

enrich: (verb) to improve the quality.

environment: (noun) place where animals, plants, and people live.

fertilizer: (noun) chemical that adds nutrients back into the soil.

manure: (noun) solid waste of animals such as cows and horses that is used to make the soil better.

mulch: (noun) protective covering that is put over farm fields to protect the soil.

nutrient: (noun) substance that living things need to grow.

organic: (adjective) grown naturally without chemicals.

pesticide: (noun) chemical that kills pests.

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