If we produced all our food organically, will there be a food shortage?

Question

When I go to the supermarkets to do grocery shopping, some of the food is marked organic. Some of these foodstuffs made marked organic cost more. Someone told me that it is more expensive to produce food products and grains organically as you cannot mass produce them. Is this correct? Is the yield of a field that has a crop grown with chemical fertilizers and pesticides more than a field where the crop was grown using organic methods? Can't we produce foodgrains and produce using natural fertilizer and pest-controllers (instead of pesticides) and get more yield per acre? Do foodcrops have to be genetically modified? Or will it create a massive food scarcity? Thanks in advance for your answers.

Answer 1

Yes. There certainly will be a food shortage.



In agriculture, the crops grown organically must be produced without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge, and that they have to be processed without food additives (like chemical preservatives). When it comes to animals, they must be reared without the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones and fed a diet of organic foods.



In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified. Genetically modified seeds reduce cost of production of foodcrops and hence, food becomes less expensive and can be produced more.

The failure to implement genetic engineering techniques will also drive millions of people to starvation, malnutrition and hunger.



Organic farmers cannot produce enough to feed everybody. Reports suggest that the yield for organic farming is far less than the yield for conventional farming. It is also not economically viable in poorer countries since the cost of organic farming is pretty high.



So , you pay for what not actually is in your food but what actually goes into the production of your food. The organic food is criticized for its price premium. Also, the organic produce has to milled and processed separately. Shipping costs are also high.

In case of animals, the number of animals raised per acre affects the cost. This affects the farmers adversely. These regulations restrict the farmers to opt for organic farming on a very small scale.



In short, even though organically grown foods have a positive impact on us and on the environment the cost of the food production through organic methods leave a negative impact on the quantity of food produced.



Very few countries do allow genetically modified seeds for organic farming but that is not enough for the ever growing size of this world.



Hope this answers all your queries on organic food.

Answer 2

Organic food is more expensive as it is more labour intensive in all ways.



Organic v chemical fertilisers is a difficult one as the cereals produced today are unlike the ones of the past with cross breeding etc.



The serial seed has to have the ability to produce a high yield.



It is unlikely that there would be enough organic fertiliser available, although dairy farmers do spread it onto their fields (as well as chemicals).



For farmers to switch to organic growing would cost them a small fortune which they would have to wait a long time to see a return.

Farmers would also have to register as organic producers and have to wait for several years while there land becomes clear of chemicals previously used.



I think it is disgusting that they have to register (another money grabbing exercise) they did the job very well previously



Farmers do use pest control usually in the form of an air gunner offering his services for free, these air gunners are responsible people who are fully insured and know how to handle guns safely.

Unfortunately no doubt you will have seen in newspapers verbal attacks on law abiding air gunners just because some yob has shot a pet or something, if it was not for these air gunners offering their services we would have to pay a lot more for our food, incidentally, Rabbits cause £10,000,000,000.per year in damage to crops.

Please support sensible air gunners, thank you.

Answer 3

It is much more expensive to grow foods organically. There would be a food shortage which might last for several years until all farms could catch up.



To do it properly, it would have to be introduced to a certain amount of farms over a specific amount of time ... this would avoid the shortage problems. But, if there should be some horrendous outbreak of something which could not be handled naturally, there goes the entire crop.



The yields of non-organic farms are much higher because of the lower amounts of losses due to natural predators killed off by the chemicals (bugs and fungal infestations).

Answer 4

There would certainly be less food, but it's hard to say if we would all starve. Some Western countries might do just fine, but I don't know about the 3rd world countries who have already benefited from genetically modified foods.



Let put it this way, the Earth is already massively overpopulated, not the mention the population is increasing every minute.

Answer 5

well ur question is good.....actually producing half organic and half the normal way is not goin to affect...the reason a full organic is possible...well it si slightly on the higher side compared to the normal ones...nbut yes quality is exmplart......and i do not think that full organic grwth is possibe in the near future