Organic Farming: The way forward for a darker world

A new report based on 30 years of research tells us what lot of ATSers already know: as the ride on planet earth gets bumpier, organic farming is looking better and better. Survialists, realists, and off-the-gridders take note - Organic is cheaper, gives you more, and has what it takes to see you through hard times ahead. It also leaves the soil in good shape for the next generation, rather than raping it with petroleum-based fertilizers and a toxic hellbroth of pesticides.

As we face uncertain and extreme weather patterns, growing scarcity and expense of oil, lack of water, and a growing population, we will require farming systems that can adapt, withstand or even mitigate these problems while producing healthy, nourishing food. After 30 years of side-by-side research in our Farming Systems Trial (FST)®, Rodale Institute has demonstrated that organic farming is better equipped to feed us now and well into the ever changing future.

Fast Facts
Organic yields match conventional yields.

Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought.

Organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system.

Organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient.

Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases.

Organic farming systems are more profitable than conventional.

More at Source, including good comprehensive report in PDF format.

And it seems like nature is figuring out the GMO riddle very quickly....


wakeup-world.com...


Organic is also much more nutrient dense....

Reckon if everybody done a wee touch of "organic farming" the world would be a more peaceful place??

Originally posted by ScottishBiker420
Reckon if everybody done a wee touch of "organic farming" the world would be a more peaceful place??

Peaceful, except for the fact you can be arrested for selling your surplus of organic crops.

S&F - my favorite topic

And the link re: the corn from the most evil corporation on the planet - great news. Apparently also, Monsanto had been pressuring to plant a higher percentage of each field with their bt corn than even the gov't recommended, which helped to create resistance faster. Profits Maxed, profits Fast, at ALL COSTS!

Hopefully this serves to wake up more farmers. The news won't likely make it to the mainstream. Really only those with an interest know about this, but who knows. Ultimately, I believe Monsanto's plan is to make billions poisoning the world's agriculture with their diseased seeds, then let the world starve as it all goes sterile. If our government can't regulate GMO crops out of existence, then there is really no point in pretending to regulate anything. GMO foods pose a greater threat to more American citizens than the Soviets in the cold war, the terrorists today, and Nazi Germany combined. Eliminating every GMO seed from the planet should be a far higher priority than "The War Against Terrorism." Our priorities are so confused.

I guess Silent Thunder I will steal your thunder because some things are not quite right with your post.

Organic is NOT cheaper for the consumer at the store as you suggest. Organic does not give you more. Ask any local organic farmer. They cannot mass produce the same amount of produce in the same area due to natural means of growing and harvesting by humans. Big companies produce more food per area because they use chemicals and machines for just about every process. They grow the food quicker and bigger and more colorful - but with less nutrients per same amount of space.

There are many very bad "organic" foods that do contain lots of chemicals. These come form pesticides that organic farmers are allowed to use. The requirements for something to be sold as organic are very loose and companies take advantage of this. They do not even have to label many of these ingredients.

Organic has become a catch all term. You really do not know what you are getting. Avoid mass produced organic foods by big companies and buy from small local farmers only. Talk to these farmers and find out what they use on the plants, soil, nutrient solutions That way you can lessen the risk of getting bad organic foods.

Sustainable agriculture requires mass-scale participation and highly diversified/efficient methodologies to be, er, sustainable. Having been in this industry for a while, it is my experience that there's an unfortunate preponderence of flaky dumbasses with good intentions going at their 20 acres with stone age practices.

The most successful growers I know run insanely energy efficient aquaponics farms and/or are Excel nerds.