Organic Vs. Conventional “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and the perfection of human beings” (Fukuoka 119). Agriculture is one of the most important determinants of the quality of non-urban areas, one that can create a cultural identity of an area. But despite the cultural identity it can give, farming and agriculture also provide food which is needed for all living organisms to survive. Nevertheless, the processes and methods of producing the food are split between two very different ideas: Conventional or Organic agriculture.
Conventional farming describes any farming not dedicated to alternative methods. Fundamentally, conventional farming is the kind of farming which dominated the 20th century and which accounts for most farming today. In conventional farming, chemical plant protectants, chemical fertilizers and intensive mass animal farming are common. The term “conventional farming” draws its meaning from the contrast to alternative farming methods such as organic farming.
Conventional farming methods date back to the Industrial Revolution, which gave birth to newly invented machinery. This new machinery began producing goods with greater efficiency and output, which had previously been made by hand. It was also the beginning of the transformation of society, but did not overtake agriculture as quickly as it did in other areas of production, such as textiles and printing. No doubt, that was because agriculture was intimately connected with nature’s ecology for production. Nature’s ecology – with its dependence on weather, soil, and the interactions of many organisms – was not so easily controlled and converted to a factory process.
Changes in agriculture came gradually for the first 200 years of the Industrial Revolution. First, wooden farm implements were replaced with iron ones, the seed drill