Industrial organic agriculture

Industrial organic agriculture is method of agriculture which combines aspects of conventional agriculture with organic production methods.

Industrial organic farmers generally target national and international markets. When organic companies try to meet the demand of big chains like Whole Foods, they start looking a lot like conventional farms minus the herbicide and pesticide. Throughout some organic farms, the fields look as weed-free as those treated with herbicides. In order to achieve that look, organic farms must till the land more. This leads to a reduction in the soil’s biological activity, promotes topsoil erosion, increases water loss and contributes to a long list of other environmental concerns. Industrial farming such as this is not much more environmentally friendly than conventional industrial farming. Industrial organic farming often uses up to 1/3 more fossil fuel than small scale organic methods (Glazer 2007).

• Agriculture