What is organic farming?

What is organic farming?

Learn more about organic farming.
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Transcript

[JAZZ MUSIC] MELISSA PETRUZZELLO: Organic farming is a modern agricultural system that seeks to reduce some of the harm associated with conventional industrial farming. Organic farming is regulated by most countries, so there's a list of requirements and specifications that must be met. For food production, that entails the use of environmental pest controls, a focus on soil health, and they must refrain from using synthetic fertilizers.

And what that means for the farm is that they have less soil erosion, their runoff is less toxic to nearby waterways, and plant and animal waste are recycled back onto the farm. On the flip side, organic farming is less efficient than conventional farming, which means that more land is required for the same amount of food. It's also more labor-intensive, and that translates into higher food costs for you and I.

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