Organic farming is an agricultural production management system based on the achievement of improvements in the health of agroecosystems, which includes biological cycles, biodiversity and soil biological activity. One of its main singularities is that it focuses on the good use of agricultural management practices, locally adapting the practices to the conditions of each region.
Organic farming has numerous advantages derived from the fact that it does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, as well as rejecting the use of genetically modified seeds and breeds, additives, preservatives or irradiation techniques. These practices are replaced by others that conserve and increase the fertility of the soil not in the short, but in the long term, at the same time that they do not renounce the prevention of diseases and pests.
Below we show the advantages that organic farming offers, both in terms of sustainability and profitability and benefits. In addition, we will discover the bases of this type of cultivation that takes advantage of the natural resources present on earth.
6 BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FARMING
Organic food attracts the attention of an increasing number of consumers because it is perceived as an ethical and healthy choice. However, its benefits do not stop there, as organic farming practices have many benefits for environmental sustainability.
1.- ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTES TO SOIL HEALTH.
The basis for obtaining healthy food is obtaining healthy soil. Natural farming practices, which do not use pesticides or chemicals, promote the prosperity of healthy soils. Compared to chemically treated soil, organic soil rich in compost may not only harbor 10 times the number of useful bacteria, but these will also offer much greater diversity. Organic farming uses organic matter as the basis for fertilization. This has two direct consequences; on the one hand, an improvement in the circulation of the water and in the growth of the roots, which favors the development of crops and plants; on the other hand, the increase in chemical fertility in the soil,
2.- LESS EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES AND CHEMICALS.
Organic farming prevents resistance to diseases presented by plants, weeds and insects, which feed on bacteria, fungi and plants, due to the use of pesticides. Furthermore, chemicals can contaminate soils, water supplies, and the air, sometimes for many years. Ecological agriculture prevents erosion avoiding harmful environmental problems, in addition to relying on CROP rotation and cover crops.
To guarantee those products that are suitable for use in organic farming, there are control and certification bodies that endorse the products authorized for it. Some of the most important are INTERECO, ECOCERT or CERES.
3.- It favors the conservation of water and that its quality is maintained.
Organic farming requires less irrigation and therefore contributes to conserving water. Farmers using this practice develop a soil modification appropriately, for example with the use of mulch, which also helps conserve water.
4.- CONTRIBUTES TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ANIMALS.
ORGANIC FARMING not only helps preserve more areas of natural habitat, but also encourages birds and other natural predators to live happily on farmland, which helps in natural pest control. Complementary to organic farming practices are organic or organic farms, with clean grazing and free of chemicals, which makes the animals more resistant to diseases.
5.- COMBAT THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING.
A well applied organic farming system helps to reduce the effects of global warming and to lessen climate change, because it reduces the emission of three types of gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Organic farming has one of its main characteristics in crop rotation, which has been proven to help prevent nitrogen losses to the atmosphere and generate an increase in root biomass. On the other hand, if organic farming finds a positive response from consumers, it makes it unnecessary to produce food by assuming high energy efforts or transferring it from distant countries, with the consequent environmental impact that this implies.
6.- Organic farming promotes biodiversity
The biodiversity that occurs in a plantation gives the measure of the stability of its crops and its profitability. Ecological agriculture encourages this biodiversity to be high, which increases the resistance of the fields to diseases, pests and the action of adverse weather conditions.
PROBELTE, COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND ORGANIC FARMING
At PROBELTE we have a firm commitment to organic farming and one of our main challenges is to offer the market a wide range of quality AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS certified by the agencies in charge. It is for this reason that we make a continuous effort in the area of technological innovation and the development of new products, techniques and means of protecting sustainable crops, always respecting the environment.
