Organic farming and genetically modified food
Organic farming
organic farmingWhen crops are grown without the use of chemicals. involves arable farmers producing crops without artificial chemicalsMan-made substances that are used in farming to grow healthy crops.. It relies on more natural farming techniques such as crop rotationWhen fields are used to grow the same crop in alternate years. This helps to maintain soil fertility. and spreading manureAnimal dung (solid waste) used as fertiliser. as a fertiliser.
organic milkMilk that has been produced without the use of chemicals. and beefMeat that is produced from cows. are produced without using antibioticSubstance that controls the spread of bacteria in the body by killing them or stopping them reproducing.. Many farmers are turning to organic farming as consumer (Geography)The final user of a product. opt to buy chemical free foodFood that has been produced without the use of fertilisers and pesticides..
| ADVANTAGES | DISADVANTAGES |
| Chemical-free food grown to meet consumer demands. | More labour intensive – it takes the farmer more time and effort to grow crops. |
| Decreased river pollution due to no chemical run-off. | Farmer needs to be more skilful, eg to cultivate poorer soils. |
| Wildlife in rivers is protected. | Productivity is lower on organic farms. |
| ADVANTAGES | Chemical-free food grown to meet consumer demands. |
|---|---|
| DISADVANTAGES | More labour intensive – it takes the farmer more time and effort to grow crops. |
| ADVANTAGES | Decreased river pollution due to no chemical run-off. |
|---|---|
| DISADVANTAGES | Farmer needs to be more skilful, eg to cultivate poorer soils. |
| ADVANTAGES | Wildlife in rivers is protected. |
|---|---|
| DISADVANTAGES | Productivity is lower on organic farms. |
Genetically modified food
This involves farmers using seeds which have been altered by scientific techniques. In the past plants were improved by breeding them with better plants. This allowed farmers to grow strong plants which yielded large amounts of crops to sell.
This process, based on natural cross-breeding, takes years to produce improved crop varieties. GM plants have their DNA altered artificially by scientists and the process is much faster.
Some people think there are ethical, environmental and health concerns around the use of GM crops and therefore they should not be used by farmers.
However, others support the use of GM plants because they can be bred to fight off pests and weeds safeguarding crops from being wasted. Many think this is particularly important because of the rising world population and the corresponding increase in demand for food.
