Because we have been working on the ecological footprint of a human being, I thought that it would be interesting to do some research on what we can do to make our footprint smaller as well as help the environment. It is known to most that a lot of the food that we eat from the grocery store contains pesticides and many are grown in single crop plantings. It is a belief that these pesticides increase the productivity of crops by 40 percent. Because of its ability to grown, pesticides are now being introduced into poor countries with the hopes that it will end world hunger.

Will pesticides alone end world hunger?? Holistically, this is not true because organic farming produces significantly higher yields of crops at a lower cost. It was proven by England’s Essex University that countries such as India, Kenya, Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras have doubled or even tripled their yields by switching to organic agriculture.

Organic Farming

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Organic-vegetable-cultivation.jpeg

Not only does organic farming produce higher yields of crops but it also “increases soil fertility and prevents loss of topsoil to erosion, while conventional methods have the opposite effect.” Organic farming is also a financial benefit. By not wasting money on pesticides and fertilizer, farmers are putting the extra money in their pocket. According to the Organic Consumers Association, with sales of domestic organic food growing at about 20 percent annually, organic farms are said to have a boost in the years to come.

Organic farming alone can’t stop world hunger, but with the help of environmental leaders and human rights workers this problem can be tackled. The government just needs to focus on “the social and political factors involved in poverty and food distribution” in order to prevent millions of people from starving.

I think that by introducing and allowing organic farming to take over pesticides, the world would have a better chance of solving the issue of world hunger. We need to think about the future. With millions of people hungry everyday we need to focus on the issue as a whole and what we could do to end it entirely. Pesticides not only destroy soil but also cost money. By growing rice, corn, and wheat the organic way we can not only guarantee a brighter future but also a healthier lifestyle.

Sources:

http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/organicfarming.htm

http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm