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Is organic food really that safe?

Russian experts refute the widespread belief that organic agricultural produce is harmless. They claim that there is still no alternative to pesticides and the use of chemicals on the fields is inevitable, as the agriculture economy will not work without them.

For instance, years ago, in order to get rid of weeds, farmers used to carry out deep plowing of the fields, which would lead to aerial erosion of soil and increased CO2 emissions. The use of herbicides enabled farmers to abandon plowing with the turnover of the formation. As a result, less crop area and water are needed to have a good harvest, while soil is protected from damage and develops useful flora.

According to the recent estimates, the use of fertilizers annually helps to protect more than 11 million hectares of land from erosion all over the world. Moreover, the fertilizers protect the crops from diseases and fend off not only pests, but also microorganisms, including fungi. Without pesticides farmers would lose at least half of the harvest, which would result in significant food price surges.

What is more, the scientists have proven that the products marked “organic” are not safer than those grown with the use of fertilizers. Not to mention that almost all countries nowadays have pesticide handling controls and food safety limits. If one was to break those limits, he or she would have to eat up to 1,5 tons of vegetables or fruit in one sitting. It is obvious, that such an event is simply not possible.

Source: https://agrostrana.ru/news/1907