Finding the Middle Ground | البحث عن التوازن

Why should we move to natural farming?

After all, traditional farming practices have worked for generations. The advent of non-biologicals has meant success in terms of results. With monocropping, large-scale assured production is guaranteed. Some GMOs have been engineered to exhibit traits such as resistance to pests and solve the food security issues that can tackle feeding the growing needs. Overall, with low cost and high benefits – is this quite the bargain as it seems?

As per UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) – 'industrialized farming–which produces greenhouse gas emissions, pollutes air and water, and destroys wildlife–costs the environment the equivalent of about US$3 trillion every year.

Externalized costs, such as the funds required to purify contaminated drinking water or to treat diseases related to poor nutrition, are also unaccounted for by the industry, meaning that communities and taxpayers may be picking up the tab without even realizing it.'

Is this not a hefty price tag? Apart from the financial impact, let us not forget the nutritional, environmental, and health impacts that we are battling today. For compelling reasons such as these – should human, soil, and planet health not be prioritized?