Just one 320-acre farm going organic equals 117 cars taken off of the road or 1,462,500 miles not driven!” That’s the conclusion of Chris Hill and Greg Bowman, contributors to the Rodale Institute’s NewFarm.org website which has been heavily involved in researching the impacts of conventional and organic farming.

Seems that buying organic food—be it oranges, carrots, soybeans, or lentils—can be an effective way of shrinking your carbon footprint and living green. That’s because organic farming is a powerful atmospheric scrubber. By cultivating diverse crops, organic crops are better able to sequester carbon. In otherwise, they serve as a carbon sink.

But why is growing organic food better at carbon sequestration than growing food conventionally with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides? Over their 23-year comparison of organic and conventional corn-soybean farming systems, these were the conclusions gathered:

• Retention of organic matter: A general rule of thumb in farming is that the more organic matter is retained in the soil, the more carbon is sequestered. Organic farming generally makes use of animal manure and cover crops as a means of amending the soil; conventional farming on the other hand uses chemicals which deplete the organic matter found in soil. Pound for pound, organic farming adds rather than takes away soil organic matter and therefore helps to sequester carbon.

• Lower fuel consumption: Organic farming systems use about one third less fossil fuels compared to conventional cropping systems because of a lower dependence on heavy machinery. This lower dependence in fossil fuels results in fewer greenhouse gases expended to grow the same amount of food.

These two factors make for a great climate solution. In fact, if the US were to participate in the Kyoto protocol, it could meet 73% of its proposed targets by converting all 160 million acres of corn and soybean farmland to organic farming methods! That would be like taking nearly 60 million cars off the road.

So in addition to organic foods’ better flavor and higher nutrient content, organic food can help you lower your greenhouse gas emissions! Buying organic from the grocery store, therefore, is a great way to shrink your carbon footprint.

If you want to further enhance your environmental impact, grow your own organic food using, compost, natural fertilizers and soil amendments! This is a cost-effective way to get your daily nutrients and a fun activity for the whole family.

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Organic farming refers to the approach through which farmers cultivate and develop agricultural produce such as dairy products, vegetables, fruits, grains and meat. Organic farming is designed to promote water and soil preservation and lessen pollution and its effects on the environment. Farmers who cultivate organic products and rear animals do not utilize conventional techniques to prevent livestock disease, control weeds or even fertilize their soils. Organic farming refers to the process through which farmers grow their food, which is mainly done through the use of natural methods with no application of any synthetic methods.

There are various ways in which conventional farming differs from organic farming. For conventional farming, the farmers apply synthetic chemical fertilizers to improve the growth of the plants while an organic farmer would simply apply ordinary fertilizer like animal waste or compost manure to add nutrients to the soil for the plants to utilize. The conventional methods of farming advocate for the use of insecticides and pesticides to control pests and diseases while the organic method prefers the advantageous utilization of birds and insects or even disrupting the pests mating season or trapping the pests.

Conventional farming allows the use of chemical herbicides to control or eradicate weeds while organic farming recommends the rotation of crops, tilling, hand picking or mulching to control the weeds. Conventional farming techniques require animals to be given antibiotics and medicines to control disease as well as growth hormones to spur faster growth of animals. On the contrary, for organic farming, animals are given organic food. They also are given a chance to roam in the fields and the use of other preventative methods such as maintaining clean housing, a balanced diet and rotational grazing, which assist in minimizing diseases, are practiced.

Organic foods are gaining popularity as many people try to avoid the risks that are associated with conventional foods. Many people are concerned about the risks the pesticides sprayed on the crops to control pests and diseases may hinder their own children’s development. Studies have shown that organic foods reduce the risk of exposure of children to pesticides used in farming. Organic foods are also seen to be beneficial to not only the individual but also the environment as a whole. It helps by preventing pollution as well as preserving the ecosystem and the wildlife all together. Some farmers chosen organic foods because they believe they taste better, are fully flavored and juicy as opposed to the conventional foods, which only give a good psychological feeling when consumed.

The dispute opposing the consumption of conventional foods is based on their deficiency in nutrients. Studies have proved that the organic foods contain a wide range of nutrients and in various varieties. A study on organic milk discovered that there are 67 percent more omega 3 and 6 nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins than in conventional milk. Organic foods are also not modified genetically and do not contain preservatives or other additives. Organic farming is considered the best option by many people.

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