what is organic farming?

it’s just basically farming without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers. this means that he produce would be smaller and wouldn’t be as sweet, juicy, or whatever. there are “green markets” that only sells organic food.

I find it interesting that most of the previous answers provide a generic “without chemicals” response. For me, organic farming/gardening is more about a philosophy than than about how the work is actually done.

I began organic farming in , following the guidance of J.I.I. Rodale who presented principles and practices of “natural” agriculture in ‘Organic Gardening’ Magazine. He provided various methods of growing food and landscape without artificial adjuncts.

Soil health, balance of nature and, yes, shunning of chemicals were and are the main focus of his work. While “chemical free” has become the buzzword of the Organic Industry much of the basic philosophy has been lost to government regulation and licensing and the mega-market industry.

For good information on ‘Organic’ check for publications from Rodale Press. Do not be deceived by all of the newcomers who believe that “organic” means only chemical-free.

Organic farming is a way of farming in which the land is put to farming without any use of fertilizers and chemical substances.This type of farming is done by keeping the land unused for three to four years without cultivation so that all chemical residues are removed and then farming is done using only natural means.This is a special way of farming and is currently having a niche market.

It’s more complicated than a yahoo answer- you need to research the proper techniques since you cannot use herbicides and pesticides-which will leave your crops open for insects to feed–I know they use other methods to keep the bugs off that is not harmful to the crops–and of course, your beginning seedlings have to be organic also–sort of a purebred breed of veggies and fruit……..go to a book store or better yet, if there are any farms in your area, go and actually SEE how much work it entails before you jump in …………….good luck to you……don’t forget tomatoes—they are the best organic and bananas, but I don’t know where you live and if you can grow them…………..good luck.

Organic gardening is gardening without the use of man-made chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is said by some of its supporters to be more in harmony with nature. Organic gardeners emphasise the importance of “feeding the soil, not the plant”.

You will find more information on the basics of orgainic gardening at this website:

http://www.organicgardening.com/

Organic farming refers to the cultivation of crops or farming of animals without using any synthetic chemicals or genetic modifictations.

For my own opinion, ORGANIC FARMING is kind of farming that is not using commercial fertilisers, insecticides and others that have chemicals.

Source(s): Myself

Same

No pesticides or other harmful chemicals used on the plants or soil

just take dirt and seeds and water sun and grow

GARDENS/MINI-FARMS NETWORK

USA: TX, MS, FL, CA, AR, NM; Mexico, Rep. Dominicana, Côté d’Ivoire, Nigeria,

Nicaragua, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Haiti, England, India, Uzbekistan

[email protected]

Workshops in organic, no-till, permanent bed gardening, mini-farming and mini-ranching,

using bucket drip irrigation, worldwide, in English & Español

Proven Practices for Profitable Farming

These are based on the internet, US & international agriculture magazines, experiences teaching agriculture in many countries, research data and farmer experiences in those countries and a demonstration garden. They are ecologically sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially just and economically viable. There is unlimited, documented proof. There are ,, no-till hectares worldwide.

Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for years. At the time of my visits, an Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for years, a Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for years and a Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (° slope] for years. Ruth Stout [USA] had a no-till garden for years and , people visited her garden.

No technique yet devised by man has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable as -tillage (Baker)

. Restore the soil to its natural health. Contamination: inorganic pesticides, insecticides & fertilizers

. Maintain the healthy soil: Healthy soil produces healthy crops with highest yields and prevents most disease, pest, weed and erosion problems.

. Increase the soil’s organic matter every year.

. Little or no external inputs [It is not necessary to buy anything, from anybody.

. Leave crop residue on top of soil. No burning. You are burning up fertilizer. Do not plow it into the soil.

. Plant green manure/cover crops to increase the soil organic matter. Seeds are available in every country.

. Plant the new crop in the crop residue by opening up a row or a place for the seed.

. Plant every field every year [no fallow land]

. -tillage: no plowing, no digging, no cultivating. No hard physical labor required so children and the elderly can farm easily. After two or three years the yields can double while reducing the labor by half as compared to traditional farming. One farmer can farm ten acres alone using hand tools only [Honduras]

. Permanent beds. They were used BC in Guatemala, Mexico and many other countries. -% of the land is in paths and that saves -% of the seed, water and labor but yields will be higher. Mark off the land in beds. ½- meters wide and as long as the field or as you prefer. Leave ½ meter between the beds.

. Permanent paths [walking] Paths can be, more or less, ½ meter wide between beds.

. Hand tools: machete, weed cutter, seeding hoe. Local blacksmith should make them.

. Soil always covered. Never leave the soil bare.

. No compost making. Use the organic matter for mulch. If there is an excess, pile it up and use later.

. Bucket drip irrigation should be used to produce food during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall: Imported bucket drip kits are US$. A bucket drip line can be made locally from poly tubing [US$, Nicaragua]. One will irrigate a row of crops meters long using only liters of water per day. Water can be from a stream, pond or well. A drip kit returns $ per month to the farmer [FAO study].

Ken Hargesheimer [email protected]

When Soil is Plowed

Dr. Elaine Ingham, describes an undisturbed grassland—where a wide diversity of plants grow, their roots mingling with a wide diversity of soil organisms—and how it changes when it is plowed.

A typical teaspoon of native grassland soil contains between million and million individual bacteria that are members of perhaps , species. Several miles of fungi are in that teaspoon of soil, as well as , individual protozoa. There are to beneficial nematodes from as many as species. Root-feeding nematodes are quite scarce in truly healthy soils. They are present, but in numbers so low that it is rare to find them.

After only one plowing, a few species of bacteria and fungi disappear because the food they need is no longer put back in the system. But for the most part, all the suppressive organisms, all the nutrient cyclers, all the decomposers, all the soil organisms that rebuild good soil structure are still present and trying to do their jobs.

But tillage continues to deplete soil organic matter and kill fungi. The larger predators are crushed, their homes destroyed. The bacteria go through a bloom and blow off huge amounts of that savings-account organic matter. With continued tillage, the “policemen” (organisms) that compete with and inhibit disease are lost. The “architects” that build soil aggregates are lost. So are the “engineers”—the larger organisms that design and form the larger pores in soil. The predators that keep bacteria, fungi, and root-feeding organisms in check are lost. Disease suppression declines, soil structure erodes, and water infiltration decreases because mineral crusts form. Dr. Elaine Ingham, BioCycle, December . (From ATTRA News, July )

No pesticides or other harmful chemicals used on the plants or soil