Intensive or Organic Farming?
- Submitted by: Kizon
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- Category: Science
- Date Submitted: 11/05/2011 05:24 AM
- Pages: 15
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Which is the best type of farming, organic or intensive?
Introduction
Organic farming is ‘farming without the use of synthetic fertilizers (such as nitrates and phosphates) or pesticides (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) or other agrochemicals (such as hormones, growth stimulants, or fruit regulators)’[1].
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture as it is called is a “farming system where large quantities of inputs, such as labour or fertilizers, are involved over a small area of land. Market gardening is an example. Yields are often much higher than those obtained from extensive agriculture”[2]. I am writing this essay as part of my GCSE Chemistry coursework.
Positive and Negative Issues of Intensive and Organic Farming
Intensive farming has many positive issues and reasons why you may think that it is the best way of farming. However organic farming also has many good reasons why some think that organic farming is the best. Some positive issues for one type of farming may be the negative issue in the other.
Nutrition
The nutritional content of organic food is very good. In a study comparing organic crops with conventional crops, Dr. Virginia Worthington said ‘organic crops had a higher nutrient content about 40% of the time and overall organic crops had an equal or higher nutrient content about 85% of the time.’ [3] She had collected results from 30 studies that were looking at this.
This means that in intensive farming products that about 15% of the time they had a higher nutrient content to organic farming. However organic farming had a high nutrient content about 40% of the time meaning that in general organic farming has a better nutrient content. The biggest percentage though of the results was that 45% of the time organic farming products have the same nutrient content as intensive farming.
Organic crops may not just be more nutritional. A 4-year EU study on the benefits of organic food says that ‘some of them,...
Introduction
Organic farming is ‘farming without the use of synthetic fertilizers (such as nitrates and phosphates) or pesticides (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) or other agrochemicals (such as hormones, growth stimulants, or fruit regulators)’[1].
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture as it is called is a “farming system where large quantities of inputs, such as labour or fertilizers, are involved over a small area of land. Market gardening is an example. Yields are often much higher than those obtained from extensive agriculture”[2]. I am writing this essay as part of my GCSE Chemistry coursework.
Positive and Negative Issues of Intensive and Organic Farming
Intensive farming has many positive issues and reasons why you may think that it is the best way of farming. However organic farming also has many good reasons why some think that organic farming is the best. Some positive issues for one type of farming may be the negative issue in the other.
Nutrition
The nutritional content of organic food is very good. In a study comparing organic crops with conventional crops, Dr. Virginia Worthington said ‘organic crops had a higher nutrient content about 40% of the time and overall organic crops had an equal or higher nutrient content about 85% of the time.’ [3] She had collected results from 30 studies that were looking at this.
This means that in intensive farming products that about 15% of the time they had a higher nutrient content to organic farming. However organic farming had a high nutrient content about 40% of the time meaning that in general organic farming has a better nutrient content. The biggest percentage though of the results was that 45% of the time organic farming products have the same nutrient content as intensive farming.
Organic crops may not just be more nutritional. A 4-year EU study on the benefits of organic food says that ‘some of them,...