THREE MAJOR MYTHS ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING.

INRODUCTION.
Its fair to say that organic agriculture has been the talk of the town in the recent years.the longterm effects of organic agriculture is clearly trickling down recently.thus leading to several missunderstanding of the actual drive behind organic agriculture at large.most people norwardays make arguments without consciously knowing what they are really talking about.

MYTH;
From the Greek word mythos, meaning story or word.Also,a myth can be an attempt to explain something without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially some practice or phenomenon of nature.
Populary,a myth is consieved as an idea or story that is believed by many people but is not true.also a myth can be a collectively held belief that has no basis in fact.

MYTHS ON ORGANIC FARMING

• ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CAN'T FEED THE WORLD.

Actually a great number of studies from around the world shows that organic farms can produce about as much, and in some settings much more, than conventional farms. its true though in situations where farmers use huge amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in an attempt to maximize yields.those farmers converting to organic production often encounter lower yields in the first few years, as the soil and surrounding biodiversity recover from years of assault with chemicals. And it may take several seasons for farmers to refine the new approach.

Actually,a research Reviewing 154 growing seasons worth of data on various crops grown on rain-fed and irrigated land in the United States, University of California-Davis agricultural scientist Bill Liebhardt found that organic corn yields were 94% of conventional yields, organic wheat yields were 97%, and organic soybean yields were 94%. While Organic tomatoes showed no yield difference.

A seven-year study from Maikaal District in central India involving 1,000 farmers cultivating 3,200 hectares found that average yields for cotton, wheat, chili, and soy were as much as 20% higher on the organic farms than on nearby conventionally managed ones. Farmers and agricultural scientists attributed the higher yields in this dry region to the emphasis on cover crops, compost, manure, and other practices that increased organic matter (which helps retain water) in the soils. A study from Kenya found that while organic farmers in "high-potential areas" (those with above-average rainfall and high soil quality) had lower maize yields than nonorganic farmers, organic farmers in areas with poorer resource endowments consistently outyielded conventional growers. (In both regions, organic farmers had higher net profits, return on capital, and return on labor.)
Thus for me the claims made that organic farming cant feed the world are attempts made by the people with lazy hands in an attempt to claim easy and faster things with little efforts made inattaining them.

Hunger must end by 2030, Are you in?

• THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE ON EATING ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL  FOODS

Most of the time when i ask people about their views in eating organic foods,most of the replies i get arent so shocking,some of them go hands in claiming that there is no real difference on consuming organic and conventional food.Some go to an extend of saying Organic food is much expensive and there are only small difference.without really knowing that the 'small difference' ultimatly make the difference.(if at all the difference is small).well,have you ever had a choice of taking a soda and water and then end up taking soda because its not like you are going to wake up tomorrow unhealthy?imagine this person after a year worth of a glass of soda.Ok my point being that it may seem that the small actions dont really matter but in reality,the small actions are really that matters.

So to lean on the science side of things,research does show organic products to be more nutritious than their conventional counterparts.According to a research published in the British Journal of Nutrition adds to the evidence that organic production can boost key nutrients in foods.The study finds that organic dairy and meat contain about 50% more omega-3 fatty acids. The increase is the result of animals foraging on grasses rich in omega-3s, which then end up in dairy and meats.The Omega-3s are linked to reductions in cardiovascular disease, improved neurological development and function, and better immune function.

Also in another research published in 2014, also in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that organic crops,ranging from carrots and broccoli to apples and blueberries have substantially higher concentrations of a range of antioxidants and other potentially beneficial compounds.For instance, organic crops had about 50% more anthocyanins and flavonols compared with conventional crops. Anthocyanins are compounds that give fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, their blue, purple and red hues.Consumption of these compounds is linked to a variety of benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonol compounds found widely in fruits and vegetables have also been shown to protect cells from damage, which can help fend off disease.

In another research done at the University of Missouri in 2002,chemists discovered that the smaller organically grown oranges delivered about 30% more vitamin C than the large conventionally grown ones. Certified nutritionist Virginia Worthington found that a serving of organic lettuce, spinach, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage provided the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. but not so for the same veggies grown by conventional farming. Worthington reported that organically grown fruits and vegetables outpaced their conventional counterparts with as much as 27 per cent more vitamin C, 21.1% more iron, 29.3% more magnesium, 13.6% more phosphorus, and 18% more polyphenols. Polyphenols are a group of plant compounds such as bioflavonoids, flavanols, and pycnogenols. They are anti-inflammatory and have a wide range of health benefits, including protection against allergies, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and more.

• ORGANIC FARMING IS NOT VIABLE.

Am using viability in this context, to means workable or capable of continuing (which includes economic viability as well as physical viability).

Based on a paper published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization in 2009. The author, Noémi Nemes, examined the results of more than fifty studies that compared the economics of organic and conventional agriculture.She concluded that Organic farming, in general, is more profitable than conventional farming and productive in the longterm.(of which i recommend you look at).To put my point home,i will use two main points;

1. Yields; In the short term, organic yields appeared to be smaller than chemical-based yields. But over time, organic yields eventually caught up to, and even exceeded, chemical-based yields. Organic production also proved to be more profitable to farmers than chemical-based production because it requires significantly less energy input, representing a nearly 50 percent reduction over chemical-based farming.
2. Profitability; Generally,Organic farms have lower yields than conventional but this is compensated for by lower costs of production and higher prices for organic products. In some cases, the organic price premium is needed to provide greater gross margins.Profitability,however according to Nemes in her paper,argues that profitability goes beyond the balance sheet. Farming incurs environmental, health and social costs. The environmental costs include damage from soil erosion, water pollution and destruction of wildlife habitat. In general, conventional agriculture contributes more to these problems but does not pay the associated costs incurred by society at large.