Organic farming

Food tastes less and less, sophisticated manufacturing processes, lists of ingredients with increasingly rare names, widespread use of chemical products in agriculture, abusive use of antibiotics in livestock, climate change, the deterioration of our nature, these are facts that have permeated society and have led to the emergence of a new way of life that respects the environment, which we could call ecological or organic. Agricultural production, livestock or beekeeping with methods that respect the environment and free us from the use of chemicals, thi is organic farming.

If what you are looking for is to consume organic products, here in the Cortijuelo de San Benito in our store in Las Rozas in Madrid or our online store you can buy high quality organic products: organic extra virgin olive oil, organic raw honey, organic olives and organic natural cosmetics.

You may also be interested in: Organic products and sustainability

What is organic farming?

Organic production, which is also called biological or organic, is a way of producing or managing natural resources that combines the most respectful practices favouring biodiversity and the good conservation of natural resources, as well as taking maximum care of animal welfare, complying with international requirements where a majority of chemical substances are not used.

Organic products carry a distinctive granted by the European Union as we can see below and the number of the control entity of organic products.

Photo 1: Label of an organic product

Advantages of organic farming

Organic farming is sold as something beneficial and better than conventional and more productive farming. We will see from a critical point of view many of the advantages with which organic farming is promoted.

1.- Preservation of soil fertility

The fertility of soils depends on their nutrient content and organic matter and this is independent of whether it is organic or conventional farming. Both can maintain a high or low soil fertility.

2.- Greater crop rotation

Crop rotation is another factor that depends on the farmer and not on whether the product is organic or conventional.

3.- Less pollution of natural and environmental resources

In the beginning it would depend on the farmer, whether he takes more care of the environment or not. Both can cause great damage to nature. If we look at it from the point of view of phytosanitary use in conventional agriculture, it is clear that organic farming respects the environment more, but if these products are applied in the right dosage, they do not have to produce damage to the environment. With respect to the fertilizer, the ecological damage depends on the abuse of nutrients or micronutrients that is added to the soil, and this depends on the farmer and his knowledge of his soil, and can cause damage to the environment both an organic farmer and conventional.

4.- Improved food quality

The quality of food depends on many factors; hours of sunshine, temperature, ripening, variety, conservation… All of them depend on the handling of the farmer and of the intermediaries that intervene until the sale of the product, being factors that can control equal the ecological producer as the conventional one.

5.- Lower energy cost

Lower energy cost, is what the farmer wants to take care of their crops and the care they want to give to their care. Clearly if it is a small farmer who does everything by hand, the energy cost is going to be much smaller. An organic farmer can grow organically as conventional.

6.- Animal welfare

In animal welfare we often humanize animals and believe that their welfare is the same as that of humans. On the other hand this will also depend on the stockbreeder and how well he takes care of his animals.

Real advantages of organic farming

With organic farming, the farmer’s work is being given greater value and the opportunity to make known what he does and to defend his work. For me, this is what we have to value, although we also have to take into account another very important factor. Organic farming is much less efficient than conventional farming, so we need more land, land that can only be taken from the wild.

Organic Farming in Spain

Organic production in Spain began to be regulated in 1989 and in 1993 the first regulations for its control and labelling were approved.

Organic farming and beekeeping

Beekeeping, according to most of the scientific community, is being greatly affected by farmers’ use of insecticides.

Insecticides are clearly to blame for the disappearance of bees to a greater or lesser extent, but one of them is in the spotlight of beekeepers. Insecticides, especially neonicotinoids, an insecticide commonly used in agriculture for its wide range of plants in which it is used and its great effectiveness.

Source:

Revista científica Phys Org. 2 de mayo del 2017. “Scientists say agriculture is good for honey bees”. (Científicos creen que la agricultura es buena para las abejas). https://phys.org/