ORGANIC AGRICULTURE TODAY

The production and use of organic food products has taken firm root today as a serious alternative for consumers and farmers. Particularly since the early 1990s, a growing number of North American farmers have taken steps to minimize the use of and consumers' exposure to, toxic and persistent pesticides by establishing organic agricultural practices.

Organic farming is about building a sustainable, healthy and productive future for every aspect of our planet: the soil, water supply, animals and humans. Consumers who want to minimize their – and the environment's – exposure to toxic and persistent chemicals can do so by buying organic foods and organic fiber products, and by choosing organic agricultural methods for home pest control and lawn care. It is simply putting nature to work while removing many potential health risks that exist from certain food production today, mainly the use of pesticides.

In March 2001, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released findings showing measurable amounts of residual organophosphate pesticides in a group of people who were studied. The National Academies of Sciences has indicated that one out of four developmental and behavioral problems in children may be linked to genetic and environmental factors, including exposure to lead, mercury and organophosphate pesticides. When you put these two studies together, the conclusions could be cause for concern. Still, it should be noted that there is still more scientists and doctors need to learn about the long-term health effects of the low-level presence of organophosphates in humans.

Interestingly, a separate study to assess preschool children's organophosphate exposure in the Seattle Metropolitan area showed that one child who showed no measurable pesticide residue lived in a family that buys exclusively organic products and does not use any pesticides at home. While this does not conclude that there were any serious health risks to the remainder of the group, it does indicate that use of organic food and nonfood products can reduce the presence of those products in humans.

With increasing demands for food supplies during the past 60 years, we saw the introduction of the use of harsh chemicals and synthetic fertilizers as a way for farmers to boost crop yields. This subsequently has been followed by the more recent adoption of planting genetically modified crops.

Even today, there are toxic and persistent pesticides still used in agriculture. CDC noted that organophosphate pesticides account for approximately half of the insecticides used in the United States. An estimated 60 million pounds of organophosphate pesticides are applied to about 60 million acres of U.S. agricultural crops annually, and an additional 17 million pounds are used per year for nonagricultural uses, such as in household pest control products and in lawn and garden sprays.

The National Organic Standards Board defines organic agriculture as an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.

Despite the fact that less than 1 percent of U.S. agriculture research dollars are spent on organic practices, organic production has been shown to have yields comparable to, and sometimes higher than, conventional systems.

In addition, because organic production improves soil quality as measured by soil structure, organic matter, biological activity, water infiltration and water-holding capacity, organic systems generally produce higher yields than crops grown using conventional high-input methods during drought, leading to production stability year after year.

Organic agriculture is a collection of tested agricultural practices by diligent farmers’ intent on preserving the health of our planet. Organic agriculture is sustainable, keeping soils healthy and alive, and helping to minimize contamination of the earth's precious water supplies.

Organophosphates are not allowed in organic agriculture. Instead, organic growers use biological and cultural practices as their first line of defense against pests. Methods used include crop rotation, the selection of pest- and disease- resistant varieties, nutrient and water management, the provision of habitat for the natural enemies of pests, and release of beneficial organisms to protect crops from damage. The only pesticides allowed in organic agriculture must be on a USDA approved list, with restricted use.

In addition, organic practices prohibit the use of genetic engineering, irradiation, sewage sludge, antibiotics, and hormones. These practices are allowed in other forms of raising and producing our food, and other agricultural products.

Because organic agriculture respects the balance of microorganisms in the soil, organic producers use composted manure and other natural materials, as well as crop rotation, to help improve soil fertility, rather than synthetic fertilizers that can result in an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorous in the ground. As a result, organic practices protect ground water supplies and avoid runoff of chemicals that can cause "dead zones" in larger bodies of water.

Comparisons in Europe, for instance, have shown nitrate-leaching rates on organic farms are 40 – 57 percent lower per hectare (roughly 2,5 acres or 12,000 square yards) and carbon dioxide emissions are 40 – 60 percent lower per hectare than conventional systems.

On the other hand, current conventional practices have led to some measurable problems, including a high level of toxic metals in commercial fertilizers. An analysis of 29 fertilizers found that each contained 22 different heavy metals. In 20 of the products, levels exceeded the limits set on wastes sent to public landfills, with disturbing quantities of arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and dioxin, among others.

Furthermore, polluted runoff from farms and cities went largely unabated and actually increased over the past 30 years according to a 2001 report from the Pew Oceans Commission. The report noted that many of the nation's coastal environments exhibit symptoms of over-enrichment from these run-offs. Symptoms include harmful algal blooms, loss of sea grasses and coral reefs, and serious oxygen depletion. Coastal regions, as a result, have suffered reduced production of valuable fisheries and threats to biodiversity and ecosystems less resilient to natural and human influences.

Because organic practices help safeguard the environment and protect habitats, organic production conserves and promotes species diversity. In the United Kingdom, a study comparing biodiversity in organic farming and conventional farming systems found that organic farms had five times as many wild plants in arable (farmable) fields and 57 percent more species.

The organic farms also had 25 percent more birds at the field edge, 44 percent more in the field in autumn and winter, and 2,2 times as many breeding skylarks and higher skylark breeding rates. In addition, they had 1,6 times as many of the invertebrate arthropods that make up bird food; three times as many non-pest butterflies in the crop areas; one to five times as many spider numbers, and one to two times as many spider species. They also showed a significant decrease in aphid numbers.

Buying organic products is also a way to support conservation of our land. Organic products, whether foods or fiber, are produced through a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility in an ecological way. There were approximately 1,3 million acres in certified organic production in the United States in 1997. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service estimates 2,6 million acres were in production in 2001.

As far as feeding the world, the late Donella Meadows, who served as director of the Sustainability Institute, wrote: "We already grow enough food to feed everyone; the excess simply is not distributed where it is needed. Industrial agriculture, far from being the salvation it promises, is actually undermining the resource base-healthy soil, clean water, and diversity of plants and animals-needed to sustain the world's growing human population in the long term. If anything can restore that resource base and at the same time eliminate hunger it is organic methods."

Organic foods and products are making a healthy comeback from a by-gone era, but in more of the light of what is healthy for Earth’s ecology and us. Moreover, the production and use of these products have become the choice of a rapidly growing number of farmers and consumers today. It does prove that the connection between human health and our ecology are indelibly intertwined.

Words and Expressions to remember:

a fiber – волокно, волосок, фибра, нить, древесное волокно

a residual – остаток, остаточный продукт

an organophosphate – органический фосфат

a residue – осадок, отстой

a remainder – остаток, остатки

harsh – жесткий, твердый, грубый, неприятный

to boost – поднимать, помогать подняться

to enhance – увеличивать, усиливать, улучшать

to restore – возвращать в прежнее состояние

infiltration – инфильтрация, просачивание, проникновение

a capacity – вместимость, емкость

a drought – засуха, засушливость, нехватка дождей, сухость воздуха

an intent – намерение, цель

a contamination – загрязнение, порча

precious – драгоценный, большой ценности

a rotation – чередование, периодическое повторение, очередность, ротация

a nutrient – питательное вещество

an irradiation – облучение, химиотерапия

sewage – сточные воды, нечистоты

a sludge – густая грязь, слякоть, ил, тина

to compost – готовить компост, компостировать, превращать в компост

a manure – навоз, компост, удобрение

overabundance – чрезмерное изобилие, избыток, излишек

an emission – выделение, распространение

unabated – неослабленный

algal – относящийся к водорослям, водорослевый

resilient – пружинистый, упругий, эластичный

an arable – пахота, пашня, пахотная земля

a skylark – жаворонок

an invertebrate – беспозвоночное животное

arthropods – членистоногие

an aphid – тля растительная

to replenish – (снова) наполнять(ся), пополнять(ся)

a salvation – избавление, спасение

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