Organic Food Production and Environmental Protection

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Organic Food Production and Environmental Protection
The controversy surrounding the production of organic food and its effects on the environment has captured the attention of many people, myself included, especially at a time when environmental protection is a common language among people across the globe. More people have been leaning on consuming organic food not only for the associated health benefits but also for the belief that organic food production is safer for the environment than conventional food production. According to Singhal (46), one of the factors that have greatly influenced the production of organic food is environmental degradation, especially as global warming continues to threaten life on the planet. More producers and consumers are leaning towards organic food because they lack the chemical inputs such as pesticides which are associated with conventional foods. The idea that organic food production does not protect the environment as originally purported has opened up room for debate on whether people should continue believing that organic food is good for our environment. However, I believe that with the right farming methods, organic food production can help reduce environmental degradation.
Unlike conventional foods, organic foods from plants rely on natural inputs to promote growth, reduce infections and diseases from pests, and to manage weeds. Thus, there are no chemicals involved in the production and maintenance of organic food. According to Palmer (2), these limited chemical inputs have a limited negative effect on the environment, which would otherwise pollute the air, soil, or water when used in large quantities. In addition, production of animal foods organically is similarly beneficial. Palmer notes that “organic animal products have no synthetic hormones or antibiotics” (2). These synthetic chemicals are used to promote the growth of animals and reduce infections, yet they pose a danger not only to our health but also to the environment. In an analysis of how consuming certain food types is equivalent to a given carbon footprint, Palmer (2) revealed that consuming most of the conventional animal products has the highest amount of carbon footprint. This is especially so because their production and transportation account for a substantial amount of carbon emissions. In addition, I think that disposal of waste from such animals that have been exposed to synthetic chemicals can greatly affect our environment. This is because the intensive use of antibiotics on animals result in highly resistant bacteria which can then be spread via water and soil, hence putting other organisms at risk.
Production of organic foods has been attributed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission, albeit by a small percentage. According to Squalli and Adamkiewicz (23), there is a possibility of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 0.049% for every percentage increase in the production of organic foods. What is even more interesting is that organic farming has the ability to reduce methane and nitrous oxide gases emitted from transportation outputs (24). These are some good news because these gases are responsible for trapping heat which in turns lead to global warming. Disputing the benefits of organic foods should at least not be on the basis of their impact in reducing gas emission. Further, while there is a possibility of increasing the production of these gases during transportation if the transportation output exceeds a certain level, it is unlikely that the transportation output will exceed the limit often. Further, Squalliand Adamkiewicz indicate that “environmental harm of transportation output embodied in organic food production might be too negligible to outweigh the environmental benefits of organic farming” (1). Thus, it is imperative to focus on the benefits of organic farming rather...