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Organic Farming In Maryland Essay

988 Words4 Pages

Agriculture affects every aspect of an ecosystem including people, animals, flora, and the environment. In fact, “agriculture contributes 42 percent of the nitrogen, 55 percent of the phosphorous, and 60 percent of the sediment entering the Bay” (Chesapeake Bay Program). However, consumers in Maryland hold a say in whether these effects are positive or negative depending on whether they buy organic or nonorganic foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) only certify foods as “USDA Organic” if farmers can prove that their products promote ecological harmony, conserve biodiversity, and recycle farming resources. These benefits include “maintaining or enhancing soil and water quality; conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife; and avoiding use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering” (USDA). …show more content…

By the 1970s, the organic movement grew to combat the social, environmental, and health related concerns of conventional farming (“History of Organic Farming”). For example, in 1989, US researchers announced that Alar, a ripening agent used in apples, could cause cancer (Suutari). Around the same time, organic agricultural organizations grew and environmental movements began to focus on organic farming. Even Maryland created its own Organic Certification program to assure consumers that their organic products were consistent with USDA, standards given the popularity of the organic movement (Organic Certification Program). Organic farming sustains the Chesapeake Bay better than traditional agriculture, given that the organic movement arose to address the plethora of environmental concerns related to conventional farming

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