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Organic Farming

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Submitted By natty97
Words 1791
Pages 8
Natalie Cannon
Dr. Jana Davis
English 1127, 029
18 November 2013
Organic Farming as a Solution to Climate Change
Climate change threatens the sustainability of food production. At the same time, conventional food production threatens the sustainability of the climate. In Canada, the agricultural sector is responsible for eight percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These emissions translate to 56.6 million metric tonnes of carbon equivalents. An extra three percent can be added to that number for “Agricultural fossil fuel and energy use” (Environmental p 111, figure 16-2). Canada needs to take responsibility and remedy emissions. Wonderfully, organic farming has the potential to mitigate climate change with sustainable food production by creating diverse farms that support farmers and soil health; and by drastically reducing GHG emissions by opting for inexpensive, low-energy, natural pesticides and fertilizers.
Organic farming will mitigate climate change by protecting against soil erosion. Soil erosion is the removal of valuable topsoil sometimes caused by naturally occurring processes such as wind, rain, and drought. Often, soil erosion is caused by a combination of factors. For instance, if drought occurs topsoil becomes dry. If after the drought large amounts of wind approach that dry land in a storm, the soil will be blown away. Soil is a complex living organism filled with inorganic matter like sand, silt, and clay; and organic matter abundant with worms, microorganisms, minerals, nutrients, channels for carbon and oxygen exchange, and decomposing plant matter called humus. The most necessary function of the soil is for it to hold water and nutrients. Without this function, soil would be dirt, and dirt is not conducive to crop growth. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reports that, “Soil erosion is a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture

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