Organic Farming vs Conventional Farming

Abstract

A seemingly recognizable fact about Malaysia today is that the agriculture sector is the backbone to our economic development. Since the past decade, organic farming was promoted and adopted by the government as a way for maintaining a sustainable agriculture due to its less dependent on external factors. In contrary, conventional farming has been a common practice among farmers in improving productivity to meet the increasing demand. This practice has been an integral part of our agriculture sector in ensuring that this sector flourish. Hence, there is an urgent need to address the options present to us in order to improve the agriculture sector in Malaysia. The first part of this review deals with the historical background and development of organic and conventional farming. The second part aims to present the rather scattered literature on the different findings between the two practices in terms of soil erosion, adoption, energy usage, gas emission, quality and nutritional value, and safety. The paper concludes with some recommendations to improve the current scenario for a betterment.

Full text

INTRODUCTION ORGANIC FARMING
Conventional vs Organic Farming
Alvin Lim Teik Zheng1*, D.S. Karam2,4, R.M. Zawawi1, and K.S. Rajoo3
Organic farming is a form of agriculture that
relies on sustainable techniques to enhance
the natural fertility of a farm, including crop
rotation, companion planting, biological
pest control, and naturally-sourced
fertilizers such as compost, manure, green
manure, and bone meal. Pest-control
measures such as mixed crops and fostering
natural insect predators, are employed,
while it excludes the use of synthetic
petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides,
plant growth regulators such as hormones,
antibiotic use in livestock, genetically
modified organisms, human sewage sludge,
and nanomaterial. The agricultural approach
emphasizes sustainability, openness,
independence, health, and safety.
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, UPM
2Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, UPM
3Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, UPM
4Institute of Plantation Studies, UPM
*alvinltz29@gmail.com ; +60174071508
Around the world, the dependency on
land and other natural resources is
inevitable to meet human needs and long
term survival. Since the past decade,
organic farming was promoted and
adopted by the government as a way for
maintaining a sustainable agriculture due
to its less dependent on external factors.
In the eleventh Malaysian Plan (2016-
2020), the focus of the government
include promoting the agro-food
subsector in order to achieve the targeted
sufficiency level of key food commodities.
In contrary, conventional farming has
been a common practice among farmers
in improving productivity to meet the
increasing demand. However, this form of
farming has been dependent on the high
usage of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides
and herbicides that has raised pertinent
environmental concerns which affects the
biodiversity (Lupwayi et al., 2001). This
method is based on the research
conducted by Jenkins et al., 2010;
Gasparatos et al., 2011 and Arnhold et al.,
2014.
Find out mores…
1. Arnhold, S., Lindner, S., Lee, B., Martin, E., Kettering, J., Nguyen, T. T., Koellner, T., Ok, T. S. & Huwe, B. (2014). Conventional and organic farming: Soil erosion and conservation potential for row crop
cultivation. Geoderma, 219-220, 89–105.
2.Gasparatos, D. Roussos, P.A, Christofilopoulou, E. & Haidouti, C. (2011). Comparative effects of organic and conventional apple orchard management on soil chemical properties and plant mineral content
under Mediterranean climate conditions, Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 11:105- 117.
3. Jenkins, H. J. L., Godwin, J. R., Pearce, B. et al (2010). A comparison between conventional and organic farming practice. 19th World Congress of Soil Sciences, Soil Solutions for a Changing World,
Brisbane, Australia, 1-6 August 2010. 1: 1-4.
4. Lupwayi, N. Z., Monreal, M. A., Clayton, G. W., Grant, C. A., Johnston, A. M., & Rice. W. A. (2001). Soil microbial biomass and diversity respond to tillage and sulphur fertilizers. Canadian Journal of Soil
Science. 81:577-589.
INGREDIENT & PROCESSIING
CONVENTIONAL ORGANIC
Artificial flavours
May be used NEVER
Artificial colours
May be used NEVER
Artificial preservatives
May be used NEVER
Artificial fertilizers
May be used NEVER
Artificial pesticides
May be used NEVER
Irradiation
May be used NEVER
Genetically engineered ingredient
May be used NEVER
The environment benefits because natural habitats are less threatened
The soil can be in better condition because of the manure used
It can provide healthier food for people
The industry is worth over £1 billion a year
More produce is damaged by pests
Weed control is time consuming as weeds are often removed mechanically
Organic dairy farms produce more methane per animals than non-organic due to the diet of the cattle
Some organic farming methods use more water than conventional farming
The crop yield is lower on organic farms (about 20% less compared to conventional farming
CONVENTIONAL FARMING
A crop can be classified as conventional if synthetic chemicals are used to maintain the plants. A significant
amount of chemical and energy input is required in conventional agriculture to produce the highest possible
yield of crops. Conventional agriculture was developed to make farming more efficient, but achieves that
efficiency at a major cost to the environment. The goal of conventional agriculture is to maximize the
potential yield of crops. This is achieved through the application of synthetic chemicals, genetically
modified organisms, and a number of other industrial products. Production of these crops is beneficial to
nothing but food security and economy. Since the goal of conventional agriculture is to maximize yields,
environmental health and biodiversity are usually not preserved.
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