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lunaplath · 3 years ago

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Organic Farming: Pros and Cons

The benefits of organic farming for humanity, natural communities, the environment and agribusiness in general explain its popularity over the past 15 years. Back in 2008, retail sales of organic food reached over $1.5 billion in Canada and $22.9 billion in the US, according to Smart Krishi and Food Canada.

Organic farming has a number of advantages for both producers and consumers, but it is far from perfect. Listed below are the opportunities for producers and consumers of organic agricultural products, as well as the challenges they face.

Pros of Organic Farming

avoidance of hazardous chemicals;

saving money on expensive synthetic fertilizers;

guaranteed quality and product certification;

improved palatability and nutritional value of products ;

environment protection;

utilization and composting of organic waste for fertilizing fields;

improving soil quality.

Cons of Organic Farming

a decrease in production volumes, which causes difficulties in the supply of organic farming products on an industrial scale;

increasing labor costs and time of processing fields by mechanical methods and manually, monitoring crops and ensuring uncompromising compliance with standards;

multiple pest and weed control operations rather than single use of chemicals;

shortening the shelf life of products (natural foods usually spoil faster due to the lack of preservatives);

higher prices for natural products compared to their traditional counterparts.

Organic Farming & Sustainable Agriculture

Organic farming maintains ecological balance and conserves natural (Prakritik Kheti) resources. This approach ensures the possibility of further use of fields and their productivity for a long time. In this regard, organic farming practices overlap with sustainable farming practices:

reduce environmental pollution through recycling and restrictions on the use of chemical fertilizers;

increase the biodiversity of ecosystems;

conserve energy and resources, oppose their excessive use;

use non-chemical methods of pest and weed control;

create living conditions for livestock that are as close as possible to their natural habitat and provide for their natural needs.

Organic Farming Management And EOS Crop Monitoring Functionality

Advanced agricultural management technologies detect critical problems in the fields through satellite data analytics and help to eliminate them in a timely manner. EOS Crop Monitoring is an online tool that facilitates agricultural processes and helps with management decisions.

Using the platform, organic producers can monitor vegetation levels, compare changes in vegetation health over the past five years to historical data, and reduce soil analysis costs by taking timely action at the first sign of erosion.

In addition, the product can determine the state of vegetation according to vegetation indices and their relationship with the phases of plant development (taking into account the characteristics of each crop).

EOS Crop Monitoring also helps to measure and identify important soil characteristics that affect soil fertility, including the degree of moisture (and maintaining soil fertility in the long term is one of the most important tasks of organic farming).

Zoning is one of the key features of EOS Crop Monitoring. This method helps to divide the field into sections depending on the state of vegetation and save resources, and therefore can be successfully applied in organic farming. The product offers two types of zoning: productivity maps and vegetation maps, the functions of which are slightly different.

Productivity maps are generated based on the analysis of historical data, which allows farmers to adjust the seeding rate and at the same time save on the purchase of expensive seeds.

Vegetation maps display the current state of vegetation and the degree of its intensity in certain areas of the field. This allows you to apply a differentiated method of fertilization, which is especially valuable in organic farming.

Thanks to this, farmers can distribute fertilizer rates more accurately, depending on the needs of each zone. Thus, they can prevent excess nitrogen accumulation in the soil, conserve natural resources and save money.

We also offer a scouting feature that helps scouts get the most accurate field inspection data and help farmers make the best data-driven decisions.

In addition, EOS Crop Monitoring allows you to plan the watering schedule based on the actual water needs of the plants. Simultaneously analyzing data from ground moisture sensors and our 14-day weather forecast for an area of 9*9 km, farmers can use our application to adjust irrigation plans.

The rational distribution of water on the field is the best way to comply with the principles of organic farming, as it helps to save water resources, prevent accidental flooding, and thereby increase yields and reduce costs.

EOS Crop Monitoring helps growers overcome the challenges they face in organic farming practices and thus contributes to the understanding and implementation of this concept. While the disadvantages of this approach can be minimized, its many advantages for all stakeholders remain undeniable.

#Smart Krishi

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