THE DEFINITION AND THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Organic farming is a set of cultivation techniques and methods whose main goal is the holistic protection of the environment, the consumer, plants, and animals.

The most important of all the characteristics of organic farming is that plant protection, soil fertilization, and that plant nutrition is done with pure organic means without the use of chemicals.

So the nutrition addition to the soil is done mainly with manure while the plant protection is getting done by using with natural methods such as the use of some predatory insects. A method that was widely applied in Europe for thousands of years now.

For example, it is worth noting that the soil is nourished mainly by the method of crop rotation, and the use of legumes to ensure or as much nutrient adequacy of the soil as possible.

At the same time, the control of weeds is getting done by hand, by weeding and soil cover, while in no case is the use of chemical herbicides allowed.

Organic farming is not an easy task and definitely has plenty of requirements and conditions, but it is a type of farming that ensures long term great benefits for humans as well as for the environment and the ecosystem, etc.

Organic crops are ruled by some very basic principles which are:

• Organic farming maintains and enhances soil, plant, animal, and human health as one and indivisible whole.
• Organic farming must rely on, act on, and imitate living ecosystems and contribute to their conservation.
• Organic farming should be based on relationships that ensure justice in terms of the environment and life processes
• 4 Organic farming must be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of present and future generations and the environment.
• Organic farming maintains and enhances the health of the soil, plants, animals, and humans as one and indivisible whole.
• Organic farming must rely on, act on, and imitate living ecosystems and contribute to their conservation.

As we all understand, the overall preservation of the natural environment and the production of crops with the least possible use of chemicals is something that should be the ultimate goal of producers and consumers.

In this frame, organic farming targets at the following:

• The reduction of chemical residues in food.
• Sustainable management of the natural environment.
• Proper management of energy and wider natural resources.
• Increasing soil fertility and biological activity.
• The greatest possible protection of public health and the health of consumers and producers.
• The maximum assurance of health and the best living conditions of the animals.

Regarding these, some of the organic farming methods the producers use are:

• Proper use of agricultural resources
• Green lubrication
• Use of organic fertilizer
• Wide application of recycling
• Use of natural plant protection sources

Fertilization in organic farming:

As we all know either in conventional cultivation or inorganic the correct nutrition of the plants is the cornerstone, in order to have the optimal yield but also the health of the plants.

We may not be able to use chemicals for fertilization, but organic farming still enables us to provide our plants with the percentage of nutrients that will give us the best results both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Some of these methods used by organic farming to ensure plant nutrition are:

• Organic manure with the cultivation of annual or perennial nitrogen-fixing plants. Then these plants are incorporated into the soil and add the necessary nutrients.
• The use of compost.
• The use of well-digested manure
• Soil cover with plant residues
• Plant protection — Weed control:

As we pointed out above in organic agriculture the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides is prohibited. But organic agriculture use alternatives methods to ensure the plant’s protection, such as:

• The use of natural enemies such as insects
• The selection of resistant varieties.
• Crop rotation.
• Proper pruning ensures adequate ventilation and lighting for the plants.

Organic farming is becoming again the future leader of European agriculture for numerous reasons where some of them are that the EU wants to make sure that every product that arrives on a consumer table is completely safe, quality, tasty, and nutrient.

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