At a time when the unsustainable agricultural approach, which relies on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and traditional irrigation methods, has contributed to the worsening of the climate crisis, organic farming is sowing the seeds of hope as a green and sustainable solution that helps mitigate climate change.
Organic farming depends on a number of standards in which the use of chemical fertilizers is prohibited, due to their serious negative effects on environmental systems, which has prompted some to allocate green areas to produce crops. healthy ones that mainly depend on natural and environmentally friendly elements.
Organic farming sows the seeds of hope as a green and sustainable solution that helps mitigate climate change.
At a distance of 64 kilometers from Cairo, and on an area of 20 acres, orange trees stand alongside other varieties of vegetables on an organic farm in the governorate of Menoufia. “We created it in 2009, and our first goal was for people to eat healthy and clean food,” says Khaled Abu Amira, director of the Egyptian Society for Sustainable Agriculture and owner of the farm.
In his interview with Raseef22, he added: “We mainly rely on organic fertilizers from elements available in nature, such as mountain rocks which contain amounts of potassium, phosphorus, phosphate and other elements necessary for plants, so we convert them with the help of beneficial bacteria from rocks that are not dissolved in water into a material that can absorb them, unlike traditional agriculture which relies on chemical fertilizers that affect the natural harmony of the micro-organisms present in the soil.
Abu Amira continues, “Chemical fertilizers, in addition to their impact on human health and infection by many diseases, increase the negative effects of climate change, so organic farming helps reduce the risks.”
He concludes his speech by saying: “Organic agriculture has a distinguished material yield, because its production is not inferior to that of conventional agriculture if the control methods are followed correctly to increase the natural harmony between and between living organisms, and during the first years the share of production increases gradually, and its cost is 35% lower than that of agriculture.” This is due to the rising prices of energy and chemistry in recent years.
From organically farmed land in Egypt
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), organic agriculture is defined as “a comprehensive production management system that promotes and enhances the integrity of the agro-ecosystem, including including biodiversity, soil cycles and biological activity, taking into account regional conditions which require systems adapted to local conditions.
The traditional agricultural sector contributes to a third of global greenhouse gas emissions Paris Agreement The objective of limiting the increase in global average temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, emissions from the agricultural sector must be reduced by 20 to 30%, therefore lying The importance of organic agriculture lies in its ability to reduce damage costs, by preserving and improving soil fertility and preventing soil erosion, while reducing the exposure of humans and animals to damage.
It generates no carbon emissions
Muhammad Abu Zaid, agricultural engineer and supervisor of an organic farm on the North Coast, explains the impact of traditional agriculture on the environment and climate. That its traces can remain in the soil for about three years or more, which leads to a change in its properties and the infection of the end user of the product by many diseases, in addition to its effect on predators which help to control harmful pests such as aphids and others.
We mainly rely on organic fertilizers drawn from the elements available in nature, unlike traditional agriculture which relies on chemical fertilizers which affect the natural harmony of the microorganisms present in the soil.
Abu Zaid refers to his use of agricultural waste, such as tree leaves and the like, to produce an organic fertilizer capable of providing the plant with the nutrients necessary for its growth, thanks to the process of composting, which does not involve any carbon emission harmful to the environment or climate, and it also relies on predators in the process of controlling harmful pests that harm the crop.
in 2020, Published The Egyptian government has published the Organic Agriculture Law, which aims to support the state’s plan to produce safe and healthy food by limiting the use of chemical pesticides and replacing them with healthy alternatives such as organic fertilizers produced from agricultural crop residues. According to for statistics Recently, the proportion of agricultural land used for organic farming has increased in Egypt: in 2020, about 116,000 hectares of agricultural land was used, compared to an area of 105,000 hectares in 2017.
During his interview with Raseef22, Dr. Walid Diaa, Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, said: “There is often confusion between the term organic agriculture and clean or safe agriculture. In organic farming, no chemicals are added in anyway, but organic matter is used in fertilization and biological methods of control,” pointing out that the irrational use of chemical fertilizers leads to many emissions of carbon that are accelerating the rate of climate change and, therefore, rising temperatures.
Diaa adds: “Organic farming requires that the soil is not contaminated with chemicals so that the plant does not absorb them. A nutritional deficit, and the need for this type of agriculture to take longer than its traditional counterpart.
Khaled Abu Amira on his farm in Menoufia
Hussein Abu Saddam, leader of the Peasants’ Union, agrees with Diyaa, telling Raseef22: “Some challenges faced by small-scale farmers prevent them from applying the experience of organic farming, including the lack of productivity. agricultural approach”, noting that the lack of water and the increase in the number of the population and the widening of the food deficit are among the reasons which hinder the popularization of organic agriculture.
Ecological
For his part, Dr. Khaled Ghanem, professor of organic agriculture and head of the environment department at the faculty of agriculture of Al-Azhar University, explains the benefits of organic agriculture to limit climate change, saying, “All organic farming practices are environmentally friendly. Agricultural rotations, green fertilization and local seeds are all practices that act on the natural increase in soil fertility and the improvement of its water absorption efficiency.
Ghanem told Raseef22 that the process of producing and using organic fertilizer (compost), which is the most important practice in organic farming, and which works to fertilize the soil and increase the number of beneficial microbes , does not cause any environmental pollutants that increase the levels of greenhouse gases, as is the case with chemical fertilizers.
The professor of organic agriculture pointed out that organic farms require that they be licensed and under the supervision of institutions to monitor and ensure crop safety, such as the National Food Safety Authority and the General Administration of biological agriculture.
Some challenges faced by smallholder farmers prevent them from applying the organic farming experience, including lack of productivity, and as a result many resort to the traditional farming approach, and lack of water, l he population increase and the growing food deficit are among the reasons that slow down the generalization of organic farming
economic importance
In turn, Dr. Maysa Lutfi, head of the Central Laboratory of Organic Agriculture of the Agricultural Research Center, highlighted the importance of organic agriculture and its role in preserving the environment and climate, thanks to the use of modern methods in the production of healthy food. and safe foods. She says, “Organic farming preserves the environment with all its elements. Its reliance on natural products to fight disease reduces carbon emissions that increase air temperature, unlike pesticides due to of their long-term effects on the environment and on man.” and animal health.
Lutfi pointed out that organic farming is of economic importance due to the growing demand for organic products in European and international markets, and therefore works to provide hard currency.
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