Although organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods, conventional food prices in the US and elsewhere do not reflect hidden costs born by taxpayers. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup, and environmental damage. Promote Biodiversity Mono-cropping is the practice of planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year. While this approach tripled farm production between 1950-1970, the lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural minerals and nutrients. To replace the nutrients, chemical fertilizers are being used, often in increasingly dangerous amounts.
Single crops are much more susceptible to pests, making farmers more reliant on pesticides.
Despite a tenfold increase in the use of pesticides between 1947 and 1974, crop losses due to insects have doubled- partly because some insects have become genetically resistant to certain pesticides. Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant, and ultimately, to the nourishment of our well-being.