Organic farming is one of the fastest growing sectors of the agriculture industry. Demand for organic farm products in the United States has risen significantly over the past decade. Supporters of organic farming cite the potential health benefits of organic farming as well as the reduced use of pesticides. Despite the supposed benefits of organic farming, I am against practicing it in the U.S. for several reasons.
The first argument against organic farming is reduced crop production and yields. Reduced production and yields would likely lead to a decrease in world food supply levels. Hypothetically, if organic farming was practiced around the world, it would not be able to feed the current world population. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution and Nobel Peace Prize winner, estimates that organic farming at most can feed only 4 billion people. If organic farming was practiced throughout the U.S., it may lead to strains on worldwide food supply levels and possibly cause famine or starvation in certain areas of the world. A counter-argument against reduced yields is that certain crops produced organically (corn and soybeans) yields the same amount of production as crops produced through conventional methods. Yields from organic farming may also eventually increase due to better techniques and increased efficiency.
The second argument against organic farming is that it is more expensive. Since organic farmers do not use pesticides, they must use natural pest control techniques. These techniques are often more costly than conventional chemical pesticides, causing the price of organic foods to be higher than conventionally-produced foods. Organic farmers also do not use chemical fertilizers, but use manure, which is more expensive. If organic farming became widely practiced throughout the U.S., the cost of food would likely go up. Since the price of food has recently gone up with higher fuel costs, organic food would cause food prices to be even...