It's estimated that the United States has lost more than 650,000 family farms in the past decade. And with the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting that half of this country's farm production will come from one percent of farms by the year 2000, organic farming could be one of the few survival tactics left for family farms. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean-up, and environmental damage. While this approach tripled farm production between 1950 and 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 used often in increasing amounts.
Single crops are also 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, our palates. From The Committee for Sustainable Agriculture CSA is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes ecologically sound agriculture, supports the growing of abundant food, protecting natural resources, preserving diversity, honoring rural life and work, and inspiring better farming. The urbanization of formerly rural countries and regions is causing both food insecurity and environmental degradation. Urban agriculture is an activity that contributes to a solid community economic base through micro-enterprise.