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Compare Organic Farming and Conventional Farming

...continued from our page titled organic foods in a bio-tech world we compare organic farming and conventional farming

5. Sustainable farming

This is a term that needs some standardising.

Organic and sustainable are often used interchangeably.

Yet organic can be unsustainable in certain circumstances, and sustainable need not be organic.

Sustainable farming as described by Prof. Pretty* seems to be emerging as the standard explanation of the term.

In many respects, as he describes it, it is similar to organic farming.

Sustainable agriculture encourages the recycling of natural wastes as manures and encourages appropriate technology, such as surface cultivation, rather than deep ploughing.

It is different from organic farming in that it doesn't exclude artificial fertilisers and chemicals but attempts instead to optimise their use.

Recent reports show that thousands of communities and millions of acres are now involved and are showing dramatic increases in productivity combined with increasing soil fertility and an improved environment.

* Prof.Jules Pretty is Director of the Centre for Environment and Society at the Univ. of Essex. A world expert on sustainable agriculture he is the author of a world-wide report launched in Jan '01.

6. Biointensive Farming

compare organic farming and conventional farming tractor graphic Biointensive gardening, sometimes called mini-farming is a combination of Irish lazy-bed, 19th C. French raised-bed, and Chinese traditional methods of farming.

It claims enormous outputs from a very small area - enough to feed a family from a few hundred square feet - whilst building up the soil. More about this method developed by American, John Jeavon, based on the work of English gardener, Alan Chadwick at; www.growbiointensive.org

7. Vegan organic farming

www.veganvillage.co.uk Promotes vegan organic farming.. "Can't feed two populations, animals and people..." they argue. Vegans criticise extensive, organic, animal husbandry systems as, "disastrous" and "irresponsible". It takes, they say, 85% of UK farmland to feed the one billion animals slaughtered there each year.

8. Biodynamic farming

Basically the same as organic farming but with a more esoteric and philosophical base.

Part of the anthroposophic teaching of Austrian, Rudolf Steiner, it purports to help the health-giving forces of nature with special methods and preparations.

Steiner admirably emphasised the absurdity of agricultural economics being determined by people who have never farmed. www.biodynamics.com

9. Organic farming

Organic farming developed in modern times as a response to what was perceived to be the polluting of our food supply by modern and factory farming methods and the ensuing degradation of the environment with chemical and other by-products of the industry.

Further reading

Living An Organic Lifestyle