सुवर्णरौप्यमाणिक्यवसनैरपि पुरिताः।
तथापि प्रार्थयन्त्येव कृषकान भक्ततृष्णया।। "Even after having all the riches of the world,
you are dependent on farmers for food!"
Farmers are an essential part of our society. Without them, it is almost impossible to imagine our daily bread. No matter what their conditions are, farmers never stop working hard to provide us with food for our living, and for that, we are forever indebted to them. They are the reason human life is surviving on this planet.
When it comes to farming, nowadays, most farmers are into the conventional methods of agriculture, which involve the usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides. It helps them achieve more productivity with lesser work to be done. The main problem with common, regular methods of farming is that the crops, fruits, and vegetables produced not only lose their nutritional value but at times also prove to be harmful to health. Also, the natural taste of vegetables and crops is lost during the process. Though it is less time-consuming, it does not make their products advantageous and healthy in the longer run. Human health is compromised for short-term profits.
Even after getting more profit from regular farming methods, organic farmers still go for traditional methods of cultivation. Organic farmers are a blessing in today's world because they are not only providing us food but are working hard to make them safe for our health. The principal reasons why organic farmers deserve more cheering and praise than others are as follows:
Environment-Friendly Farming Practices
Organic farming is environmentally friendly. Organic farmers make sure they do not harm the soil, air, or water sources with harmful chemicals. No chemical fertilizers are used to enhance the growth rate and alter the natural composition of the product. Chemical fertilizers make crops unsafe for consumption, affect soil fertility by killing the essential microbes living in the soil and reduce their nutritional value. Several methods like crop rotation, mechanical cultivation, biological pest control, green manures, and compost are practiced instead. The end products are safe for consumption by consumers, which is again another way of being environment-friendly.
Intensive Manual Labor Involved
Farmers who practice organic farming do not use insecticides and pesticides at all. Insects and pests are tackled manually. This demands more labor and constant attention towards the crops. Yet, farmers choose to work hard and look after the well-being of the crops themselves so that the crops remain natural and safe for consumption. No matter how time-consuming and exhausting the whole process is, organic farmers never compromise the quality of the crops by relying on chemicals. To design and implement best practices of pest and insect management, it is also necessary to have accurate knowledge of ecology, phenology, crop, and pest biology, while following strictly regulated rules of organic farming.
Choosing Long-Term Advantages over Short-Term Profits
Unlike commonly used methods of farming, organic farming comes with long-term benefits. Profits are on the low side in organic farming for farmers, considering the kind of labor and patience they put in. Farmers understand the value of human health and they prefer it over their profit, which they could easily gain through regular ways of using pesticides and fertilizers. This selfless act of organic farmers is sincerely applaudable.
Making Right Choices
Making the right decisions and choices is very critical when it comes to organic farming. Farmers know the correct time and method to grow each crop. They know about the soil characteristics, suitable weather conditions, water requirements, and the time needed to naturally grow a healthy crop. A strict supervision schedule is maintained to keep the label organic. Practices like crop rotation, soil management using green manures and biofertilizers, everything involve a better understanding of the type of soil and the type of crop to be grown. Organic farmers make decisions that are beneficial for both crops and the soil.
Tastier and Healthier Vegetables and Crops
Organic fruits and vegetables are healthier and tastier as compared to the ones produced using usual methods of farming. It is due to the patience, hard work, and perseverance of the farmers that we get to eat the original, delectable products. The food experts worldwide give credit to the soil care practiced by organic farmers. Excellent nourishment of the soil leads to well-nourished plants, which yield food with higher nutritional content and optimal flavor. People who consume non-organically produced food products are not truly aware of their original taste.
Organic farmers know their job is not easy and relatively more demanding, yet they strive hard and do everything they can to ensure that only environment-friendly and the human health-friendly product is created. Their compassion towards humanity and nature makes them the real heroes of the country.