Is organic produce worth the cost research paper example

Is Organic Produce Worth the Cost?

Organic produce is food that is produced on organic farms through environmental friend and animal friendly methods. It is food raised in safe soils without the use of synthetic fertilizers and additives. Organic produce is viewed as the most healthiest and safe food available even though this has been disputed by some studies. Many Americans spend their money on organic produce more than how they spend it on conventional foods. The question here is that is organic produce worthy the cost? Is it worthy spending more on organic produce? The answer to these questions is yes and no. This is simply because it has both positive and negative impacts.
Organic produce has a variety of problems that needs to be addressed and this can only be done by shifting to modern farming techniques which will increase food production. Organic farming should be abolished because it is not capable of meeting the growing population demands; instead, farmers should use shift to modern farming techniques which are the most efficient in the world today.

Problems

Organic produce have become very popular throughout the United States. Many people opt for organic foods rather than conventional foods because they want to live healthy. What they do not put into consideration is that organically grown foods contain pesticides that may be dangerous to their health and cause environmental concerns. Much has been spent on organic farming but the produce is not enough to feed the growing population and the foods are very expensive since they are less in the market. Therefore, it is not worth the cost and it is time that farmers should shift to conventional farming to be able to provide for the growing population.
The problems with organic farming are many; first, it is a highly in inefficient process. In the world today, many farmers have moved away from local and small scale farming which is organic farming to conventional farming. This is because there is a rapid population growth and this kind of farming is not eligible to feed the growing population. Organic farming produces less food and a farmer will need twice or thrice the land he/she has in order to produce equivalent to what farmers using modern farming techniques can produce with the same piece of land. This is to say that, with the use of modern techniques, the world will be able to conserve our forests and our environment since much can be produced on a small piece of land. If the world decides to switch off to organic produce, there will be need of twice the amounts of lands used for agriculture in order to produce the same amount of food as modern farming and this means clearing our forests in order to get more lands for farming. This is going against the environmental conservation of deforestation by trying to clear lands for human use.
Moreover, organic produce is not worth the cost because it will bring a very significant problem of feeding earth’s rapid grown population. A research done by Kaufman and Franz (2000) indicated that, if the world decides to switch to organic farming, only 4 billion people will be fed meaning over 2. 7 billion people around the world will have to starve to death. This is a problem that needs to be addressed and the earlier the better. The world will need more food in the coming years and a proper and effective farming method should be implemented in order to meet the demand. There is need for more food production and that cannot be done through organic farming since with organic farming, we get less produce and this leads to higher prices in the markets.
Secondly, organic produce are not healthy and safe as claimed. It has been asserted that organic produce is healthy since there are no chemicals used in growing them. It has been proven by the U. S. Department of Agriculture that even after washing certain types of fruits and vegetable before use, they still contain higher levels of pesticides residues which can be very harmful to our health. Examples are spinach, potatoes, apples, berries and grapes; therefore, they are not healthy and safe. Therefore, there is need for a shift to modern farming in order to provide consumers with safe and healthy produce. Organic pesticides are less efficient and can be very harmful compared to synthetic pesticides. The pesticides do not work well on the crops which lead to pests destroying the crops which affect the production rates. Some farmers use natural pesticides such as rotenone and pyrethrum which are carcinogenic and they can be very harmful to people’s health when consumed in organic food produce. It should be understood that, the natural world can create harmful poisons and toxins just like synthetic products but synthetic products are controllable.
In addition, the problem with organic produce is that it is not safe as claimed because during their growth, a very high amount of different manure is used and this results to a great risk of contamination. It has never been proven scientifically that organic food is healthy and safe. In a research done by Fossel in 2006, there were two outbreaks of E-coli which led to the death of many people (Fossel, 2007). What is surprising is that, the outbreak was traced back to organically grown lettuce and spinach despite the fact that organically grown foods are claimed to be healthy and safe. Therefore, it is very important to recommend conventional farming so as to avoid such incidences in the future. Moreover, the manure used on organically grown foods has adverse negative effects on rivers and oceans. This is because they are used in high amounts. When the run off from the manures used in the farms is drawn to the rivers, it causes an increase in nitrate levels in the water causing the growth of algae in the waters. With modern farming, costs of using fertilizers have been cut yet in organic farming; a lot of manure of different types is used and in high amounts and this will affect our water in the rivers and oceans. If organic farming is still encouraged, there will be increased levels of nitrate in the rivers leading to contamination.
Furthermore, organic foods are very expensive and no person would wish to spend a lot of cash on these products. Therefore, it is convenient that more conventional farming foods be in the market in order to make life affordable for everyone.

Solutions

According to Fromartz (2007), by mid century, the world’s population will have grown to 9 billion people. Therefore, there is need for more food production in order to be able to feed this number. The agricultural system is supposed to account for the extensive increased population by being more productive by employing the best farming methods. This can only be done by doing away with organic farming because of it’s inefficiency since the food produced by this kind of farming is not enough to feed a very large population. Moreover, with organic farming, a lot of produce has been wasted and eaten up by pests which have lowered production. There is need for the use of pesticides in order to eliminate pests from eating up our crops and the use of fertilizers in order to improve the quality of food production. It is a fact that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that are commonly used in modern farming are very efficient in food production. Therefore, organic produce is not worth the cost and modern farming should be introduced in order to be able to provide for the rapid growing population efficiently.
One solution is that, since the world population is growing as years go by, there should be an improvement in food production means and this can only be done by moving from organic farming to modern farming. This will help cater for the growing population without any inefficiency. With modern farming techniques, a lot of food will be produced since these techniques help farmers to produce healthy and a lot of food. When farmers are allowed to use modern farming techniques, they will be able to produce much from small pieces of lands thus there will be no wasted lands. When modern farming is encouraged, the food prices will be low and
The use of fertilizers and pesticides is one part of the solution that should replace the use of organic manures and fertilizers. When fertilizers are used on crops, they facilitate their growth and this shortens their maturity period and this is an advantage to both farmers and consumers. To consumers because there will be plenty of food and to farmers because they will be meeting the needs of their consumers and making profits for their hard work. More food will be preserved for future use if modern farming is adapted. This is because there are long lasting preservatives that can preserve our produce for future use compared to organic farming preservatives where produce ends up rotting. This will help prevent food contamination, controlling pests and will boost food production. Moreover, it will help prevent water pollution since synthetic fertilizers costs have been cut and are regulated therefore no more effects on the environment. Moreover, when the food production goes high, it will boost our economy. Our animals need treatment and this can be done by veterinary officers, organic farming is replaced by modern farming, our animals on our farms will be safe since they will be receiving treatment. Most animals need to be de-wormed and others die due to outbreaks of diseases caused by organic farming techniques, these can be avoided since our animals will be very health since they are attended to.

Call to Action

If we do not act fast to replace organic farming with modern farming, there will be no enough food to feed the growing population in the coming years. We must admit that organic farming does not produce enough food to cater for the current population, what if nothing is done about it? There will be no food therefore; there is need for change by shifting from organic farming methods to modern farming techniques. Using modern farming techniques will increase food production and this lead to drop of food prices since organic produce is very expensive. Moreover, farmers should be encouraged to shift to modern farming in order to avoid future food shortages. For us to be able to feed the estimated 9 billion people by mid century, we must encourage modern farming and do away with organic farming since it is not worth the cost if the production rate is very low. The use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers should be encouraged for pest control and for an increase in production due to the high quality fertilizer that will be used on the crops. Let us all support our farmers into shifting to modern farming so as to be able to meet the demand of the growing population because if we don’t, there will be food shortage will increase the food prices. Support our farmers by encouraging them and advocating for modern farming methods instead of organic farming. It is for the good of the nation.
I strongly urge all consumers to write to their congress representatives, the Department of Agriculture, and the Future Farmers of America to voice their concerns over organic farming and its inefficiency. Change is necessary, and modern farming is needed to be able to feed the growing population and to reduce food prices. Farmers must use the best and convenient farming methods so as to be able to produce enough food and to get earn from their labor. Moving to conventional farming methods will crate a balance in productivity and sustainability.

References

Kaufman, D., G. and Franz, C., M. (1993). Biosphere 2000: Protecting our Global
Environment. Dubuque, IO: Kendal/Hunt Publishing.
Fromartz, S. (2007). Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew. Berkeley: Mariner Books.
Fossel, P. V. (2007). Organic Farming: Everything You Need to Know. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press.