comparison between organic farming vs conventional farming

Organic agriculture as a concept has been part of society for a long time, but in recent years it has become more relevant in our country and throughout the world and that is why we believe it is important to make a fairly complete comparison of organic agriculture vs organic agriculture conventional.

To make a good comparison between these two concepts and ways of seeing agriculture, it is important to know the advantages of each one, the disadvantages and the differences between them, so, let’s go there, let’s begin to learn much more about agriculture.

Comparison between organic agriculture vs conventional agriculture

Advantages of organic farming

1. Production is diversified. One of the great advantages of this type of agriculture is the diversification of production, this means in a nutshell, learning the correct way to rotate crops to get the most out of each planting.
2. Less contamination. The use of fertilizers and organic fertilizers helps reduce environmental pollution.
3. More fertile soil. One of the most important principles of organic agriculture is to give back to the land what we take from it, that ensures us a much more fertile soil.
4. Better foods. The foods produced in organic crops have a greater amount of vitamins, minerals and also, since they do not include fertilizers, they are much healthier.
5. The energy cost is lower.

Disadvantages of organic farming

1. Cross contamination may exist. If nearby farmers continue to use traditional agriculture, it is possible that there is a type of contamination in organic crops called “cross contamination” and this is due to the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other contaminating elements.
2. Production costs are usually a bit higher. This makes the crops either slightly less profitable or slightly more expensive.
3. We must change our mentality and that of those around us. This is perhaps one of the great disadvantages of this type of agriculture and it does not have to do directly with the practice but with those of us who carry it out, and it is that it is not easy to change the way of thinking of someone who has been doing the same thing for so long. weather. Despite this, little by little we see more people joining this new way of seeing life.

Advantages of traditional or conventional agriculture

• Both traditional seeds and those treated are used. Conventional agriculture allows some seeds to be treated so that they can better adapt to different climates and places.
• They tend to have higher productivity. The use of chemical products to improve the productivity of crops is usually quite effective, therefore, they tend to increase the productivity of each crop.
• They use technology in their crops. Every year innovation is part of conventional planting, seeking to maximize crop profits and reduce prices and work.

Disadvantages of conventional agriculture

• Increases productivity, but at what price? The use of fertilizers, fertilizers, pesticides and other polluting chemical substances is highly harmful to the environment and even to those of us who consume the food grown in this type of crops.
• Earth and plants are weakened. Little by little, with the use of chemicals, the plants and the land in the area lose strength and weaken in the presence of chemical products that damage them.
• It also contaminates those who live or live nearby. The natural pollination of plants causes the chemical substances that are used in a crop to also pass to all those nearby lands and that process is repeated little by little. This means that you not only damage the land, the plants, those who consume the food, but also your neighbors.

Now that we know the advantages and disadvantages of each of the types of agriculture mentioned above, we will be able to understand a little better the differences between organic agriculture vs conventional agriculture pdf.

Differences between organic agriculture and conventional or traditional agriculture

Pesticides, fertilizers and much more

As you may have noticed before, one of the great differences between organic and conventional agriculture is that in the former you can only use completely organic products, which in many cases are even much cheaper and you can even create them yourself with crop and household waste.

On the other hand, in conventional agriculture, fertilizers, fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical products are often used that, in addition to being highly polluting, are also quite expensive.

Pollution

Conventional agriculture is highly polluting due to the use of chemicals that not only damage the soil, but also affect the water, the atmosphere, nearby crops and even those people who consume what is grown.

This is not the case with organic farming which even seeks to give back to the earth what we borrow from it.

How much is lost due to pests in each type of agriculture?

Although it may seem surprising, there is almost a 10% difference between crop losses due to pests between one type of agriculture and the other.

To your surprise, the percentage of losses in conventional agriculture (close to 12%) is much higher than in organic agriculture (less than 3%).

More nutrients vs less nutrients

If the soil is damaged, contaminated and has lost all its properties, the plants will not have where to take nutrients for the food produced to obtain those foods.

That is one of the great problems of conventional agriculture today.

And it is also one of the great advantages of organic farming and why many people prefer to buy these types of food, which is that they are much more nutritious and better for your health.

Better use of available resources

Organic agriculture teaches you how to take advantage of the resources that are available in the area, for example, if access to water is difficult, the solution is to create catchment systems to solve those problems.

In traditional agriculture it is mandatory to have access to irrigation, alternative solutions are not usually thought of.

Which is better economically?

In the short term, conventional agriculture is better, but if what you are thinking of is a long-term project (more than 5 years), organic agriculture is the best.

You can create your own collection systems, manures, fertilizers and many other techniques that you will learn to help you grow crops more easily and get the most out of your space.

If you want to start your organic farming project, you may be interested in knowing how organic farming is applied.