Sibling Rivalry: The One About Raising Kids (Ad Free Audio)
Added 2023-02-27 06:14:24 +0000 UTCComments
Organic farming, when done correctly can actually be beneficial to the land that's being farmed in many ways. Mainly, by taking advantage of natural environmental processes instead of interfering by using pesticides and fertilizers. Many organic farmers even reseed and their lands with cover crops that are beneficial for both the soil and the local fauna. These cover crops naturally "till" the soil which prevents the soil from being compacted which is what causes a lot of flooding and runoff. It also fixes nitrogen which becomes a natural fertilizer for the soil. Additionally, It seems counterintuitive but by not employing pesticides insects considered pests return to the land and so do their natural predators. Eradicating these pests actually cause an imbalance in the environment so the natural predators disappear as well. Which (aside from the harm that chemicals cause to our bodies) is what makes pesticides even more harmful to the environment. Yes - agricultural land is not in its natural form, so it will be degraded no matter what. But organic farmers are actually taking care of the land instead of simply sucking out everything they can out of it for money. Many conventional farmers are also indebted to the government because they are reliant on them for loans to buy expensive fertilizers, pesticides and farming equipment, that they don't need if they switched to organic. Organic companies and people switching to organic food are saving small family farms FULL STOP - this is undeniably true. Are there people that take advantage of the USDA Organic program just to charge more money for their produce/products. YES - but if they get caught they will go to jail or get a large fine. This is very long-winded and probably not interesting to a lot of people but I am just tired of people not being educated about the research behind organic farming and using the "it's all marketing" talking point to downplay the benefits and importance of our entire agricultural system needing to change to an organic model. Not just for our own health but also the health of the environment. If the government subsidized organic farming instead of cash crops like corn and wheat, organic products would be cheaper and more accessible to all of us. Sorry I'm obviously very passionate about this!
Hannah Dela Cruz
2023-03-23 23:14:05 +0000 UTCThat’s totally fair. I think our current agricultural systems make it tough to improve methods to make them safer for people and the planet. But we can’t underplay the impact of farm chemicals on surrounding waterways/biodiversity. Thank you for your points though you’re totally right 💚 I think encouraging community farming and focusing seasonal produce would be a good place to start! But improvements are a long ways a way and I definitely don’t have the answer! I think capitalism always gets in the way:(
kelswell
2023-03-01 00:14:04 +0000 UTCYeah that's not entirely accurate either though. Organic farming uses a considerably lager amount of land to produce the same amount of produce as commercial agriculture making the environmental impacts almost equivalent. The organic producers just have a great grasp on the marketing of their product as somehow superior in either nutrition or carbon footprint - they even fund studies to prove their hypotheses - both are kinda bs.
Christian
2023-03-01 00:07:48 +0000 UTCJust based on the discussion about organic foods at the beginning, I will say that it is much better for the environment to purchase organic products when possible! Pesticides and herbicides can destroy a lot of aquatic biodiversity through nutrient blooms! But I definitely agree that eating inorganic isn’t necessarily dangerous and not something to be judged ever!
kelswell
2023-02-27 17:52:35 +0000 UTC
