1Department
Conventional vs Organic Farming Alvin Lim Teik Zheng1*, D.S. Karam2,4, R.M. Zawawi1, and K.S. Rajoo3
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UPM 2Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, UPM 3Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, UPM 4Institute of Plantation Studies, UPM *
[email protected] ; +60174071508
INTRODUCTION
ORGANIC FARMING
CONVENTIONAL FARMING
Around the world, the dependency on land and other natural resources is inevitable to meet human needs and long term survival. Since the past decade, organic farming was promoted and adopted by the government as a way for maintaining a sustainable agriculture due to its less dependent on external factors. In the eleventh Malaysian Plan (20162020), the focus of the government include promoting the agro-food subsector in order to achieve the targeted sufficiency level of key food commodities. In contrary, conventional farming has been a common practice among farmers in improving productivity to meet the increasing demand. However, this form of farming has been dependent on the high usage of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that has raised pertinent environmental concerns which affects the biodiversity (Lupwayi et al., 2001). This method is based on the research conducted by Jenkins et al., 2010; Gasparatos et al., 2011 and Arnhold et al., 2014.
Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on sustainable techniques to enhance the natural fertility of a farm, including crop rotation, companion planting, biological pest control, and naturally-sourced fertilizers such as compost, manure, green manure, and bone meal. Pest-control measures such as mixed crops and fostering natural insect predators, are employed, while it excludes the use of synthetic petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators such as hormones, antibiotic use in livestock, genetically modified organisms, human sewage sludge, and nanomaterial. The agricultural approach emphasizes sustainability, openness, independence, health, and safety.
A crop can be classified as conventional if synthetic chemicals are used to maintain the plants. A significant amount of chemical and energy input is required in conventional agriculture to produce the highest possible yield of crops. Conventional agriculture was developed to make farming more efficient, but achieves that efficiency at a major cost to the environment. The goal of conventional agriculture is to maximize the potential yield of crops. This is achieved through the application of synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms, and a number of other industrial products. Production of these crops is beneficial to nothing but food security and economy. Since the goal of conventional agriculture is to maximize yields, environmental health and biodiversity are usually not preserved.
INGREDIENT & PROCESSIING Artificial flavours Artificial colours Artificial preservatives Artificial fertilizers Artificial pesticides Irradiation Genetically engineered ingredient
CONVENTIONAL May be used May be used May be used May be used May be used May be used May be used
ORGANIC NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER
The environment benefits because natural habitats are less threatened The soil can be in better condition because of the manure used It can provide healthier food for people The industry is worth over £1 billion a year BBC UK
More produce is damaged by pests Weed control is time consuming as weeds are often removed mechanically Organic dairy farms produce more methane per animals than non-organic due to the diet of the cattle Some organic farming methods use more water than conventional farming The crop yield is lower on organic farms (about 20% less compared to conventional farming
Find out mores… 1. Arnhold, S., Lindner, S., Lee, B., Martin, E., Kettering, J., Nguyen, T. T., Koellner, T., Ok, T. S. & Huwe, B. (2014). Conventional and organic farming: Soil erosion and conservation potential for row crop cultivation. Geoderma, 219-220, 89–105. 2.Gasparatos, D. Roussos, P.A, Christofilopoulou, E. & Haidouti, C. (2011). Comparative effects of organic and conventional apple orchard management on soil chemical properties and plant mineral content under Mediterranean climate conditions, Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 11:105- 117. 3. Jenkins, H. J. L., Godwin, J. R., Pearce, B. et al (2010). A comparison between conventional and organic farming practice. 19th World Congress of Soil Sciences, Soil Solutions for a Changing World, Brisbane, Australia, 1-6 August 2010. 1: 1-4. 4. Lupwayi, N. Z., Monreal, M. A., Clayton, G. W., Grant, C. A., Johnston, A. M., & Rice. W. A. (2001). Soil microbial biomass and diversity respond to tillage and sulphur fertilizers. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 81:577-589.
