There were 935,450 acres of certified organic farmland in 1992 – the most up to date data (from 2011) shows there are5,383,119 certified acres today- 陆地报道近六倍。
This change is thanks to changing consumer taste coupled with environmental concerns, and it means that organic fruits and vegetables are readily available – if a little more expensive than ‘regular’ products.
Modern agriculture has had to adapt to keep pace with the demand for organic. We take a look at how the landscape has changed to accommodate the demand for organic.
How Much Do Organic Farmers Grow?
有机农业侧重于在优质的土壤中生产可持续的环保作物。因此，它并不像现代农业的其他方法那么激烈。
这意味着作物产量是19％至25％使用常规方法低于可比较的农场。为了达到与普通现代农业相同的作物产量，有机农民需要更多的土地。
Despite this, organic farms are around 35% more profitable than conventional farms.
And because the organic process is more labor-intensive, they use more people to do the work, creating more jobs.
Where Do Organic Farms Source Their Seeds?
Any organic农场种子need to be acquired from an organic source that ensures they’re not genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
This is a fundamental requirement – there’s no point following organic farming processes if the plants themselves are not organic.
这是严肃的企业 - 和记录，如European Library seed library，充当农民的资源检查有机种子可用性。
如果农民使用错误的种子，他们的作物的价值可能会导致错误率骤降。
Growing Different Varieties of the Same Plants
现代农业挑选出每种水果和蔬菜的“最喜欢的”类型，并完全生长它们。这就是为什么在您当地的超市，您将找到一排近乎相同的莴苣和西红柿。
但是雷奥洛姆作物越来越受欢迎，非常感谢有机农业，这喜欢种植许多不同类型的同一植物。
西红柿是一个很好的例子。我们每天都看到的经典番茄是红色的，但你实际上可以成长黄色，紫色，粉红色和橙色的植物品种。这些被称为'召开游戏'品种在沙拉中看起来很漂亮。
但他们不仅仅是一个看起来不错的新颖性。促进作物生物多样性实际上增加了整个食物链的生物多样性细菌通过哺乳动物。
这不仅仅是陷入不同的植物品种，恰好是吸引不同的生物。现代农业方法倾向于利用许多密集的杂草实践和无机农药和肥料。
杂草在有机系统中没有完全消除，只是远离农作物。这增加了周边地区的生物多样性。
自然作物喷雾
这是有机农业使用没有杀虫剂或肥料的神话。但代替合成化学的喷雾剂，它只使用喷雾剂derived from natural sources。
That said, they still need to be used with caution – they’re not necessarily non-toxic, but分解得更快而不是他们的合成对应物。
这意味着它们不会永远在土壤中或植物上。传统的现代农业使用可以持续在土壤中的商业杀虫剂多年。它们也可能浸入水中，这会导致大量问题。
DDT was one of the first chemicals used widely as a pesticide. When it washed off crops it ran into nearby bodies of water where it poisoned animals.
As predators ate prey affected by the chemical, it built up in their bodies too. And so on, up the food chain. The化学物质最终被禁止了following widespread concerns about its impact on the environment.
由于一个例子，它导致秃头鹰群稀释蛋壳稀释，并且担心它也可能开始影响人类健康。
Organic sprays are no less likely to leach into nearby rivers or lakes, but since they break down faster, they are much less likely to cause a lasting issue.
更好的土壤质量
由于覆盖物，粪肥或腐烂的有机物质作为有机农业的腐烂，粪便，土壤，土壤保持其水分较长。
And because sprays break down faster, as above, there are fewer concerns about chemicals lingering in the soil. The upshot is better quality soil that plants find it easier to thrive in.
In other modern agriculture, soils are still looked after, but to a lesser extent. Non-organic farmers undertake practices such as crop rotation to allow soils to regain nutrient content – though it’s worth pointing out that organic farmers do this as well.
这意味着他们在年复一年后在同一个领域种植了不同的作物。不同的植物有不同的需求，因此控制在真正重要的地方的生长，或者土壤中的营养物质将全部“用完”。
这种技术存在其他几个好处，如疾病和害虫预防。
Modern Agriculture Is Utilizing Renewable Energy
echos绿色和可再生能源与有机农业心态合适。一些农民种植玉米的具体ally to make ethanol- 一种carbon-neutral燃料。
一些农民还在安装风力涡轮机以产生电力 - 两者都是他们的农场和其他消费者。在现代农业中，多元化业务的价值不能低估。糟糕的一年和糟糕的作物产量会导致主要的财务问题。
在其他农场，可持续的方法如太阳能使用。令人难以置信的是，一个澳大利亚农场正在种植西红柿in the middle of the desert, using just seawater and solar power!
你吃有机吗？
有很多原因可以获得有机，从环境担忧到一种信念，这对您的饮食更好。它甚至已经提出了该系统占据了喂养世界的关键并打击全球变暖。
However,arguments remain它仍然不那么高效，标准农民旨在充分强制执行。
What do you think? Do you eat organic? If not, would you ever make the change?
