2 ms·
In practice, organic farms are required to use pesticides as a last resort, whereas conventional farms use as much pesticide as they feel is necessary routinely
by fact_factory 7y ago
In practice, organic farms are required to use pesticides as a last resort, whereas conventional farms use as much pesticide as they feel is necessary routinely. Furthermore, pesticides that are approved for organic use are non-selective, meaning that they must be applied carefully or they will damage the crop. Modern conventional agriculture is dominated by selective herbicides that are used in volume, because the crops are resistant to their effects. This means that the amount of pesticide used by a conventional farming operation dwarfs that of an organic farm.
- chicob 7y agoSo do farmers engaged in Integrated Farming: only as a last resort, and if the economical threshold has been reached. The difference is that there are no restrictions regarding the use of 1) synthetic pesticides 2) man-made fertilizers, 3) GMOs and 4) antibiotics. So Integrated Farming is just like Organic Farming, but without the bullshit.
- fact_factory 7y agoNot everyone wants synthetic pesticides or GMOs in their food.