The Disadvantages of Organic Agriculture

Productivity

• One potential drawback to producing organic foods is that organic farms may have lower productivity than standard farms. That is, for a given amount of labor, machinery and capital expenditure, an organic farm will produce less food than a nonorganic farm. There are many reasons productivity of organic farms are likely to be lower than others. Firstly, the federal guidelines for organic food states that farmers must maintain their fields through crop rotation or other means, which may result in lower overall planting for a given amount of land. Secondly, nonorganic farmers can use synthetic pesticides and herbicides, which may be cheaper, easier to apply and more effective than those which organic farmers can use. Adhering to all the rules of organic farming simply takes a level of time and care above and beyond nonorganic farming. In addition, organic farmers cannot use genetically modified organisms that can result in higher crop yields.

Cost

• Due to the lower overall productivity of organic farming, the cost to produce a certain amount of organic food is higher than the cost of producing the same amount of nonorganic food. These costs of production are ultimately passed on to buyers are supermarkets and grocery stores. According to Redbook Magazine, 70 percent of Americans buy organic food occasionally even though it can cost 50 percent more than nonorganic food. This shows that many consumers are willing to pay a premium for organic foods.

Dubious Benefits

• Another potential disadvantage to organic farming is that the benefits are not fully known. Organic agriculture has only recently become a major sector in the food market and while proponents swear to the health, environmental and nutritional benefits of organic food, there is no overwhelming evidence to support claims one way or the other. According to CNN, a study by the University of Copenhagen found that organic foods contained no more nutrients than nonorganic foods grown with the use of pesticides. In addition, while organic foods are often believed to be produced without the use of pesticides, federal regulations allow certain natural pesticides.