History of organic farming facts for kids
Traditional farming is the way people have grown food for thousands of years. It's the original type of agriculture. Back then, farmers didn't use man-made chemicals. So, all traditional farming is now seen as "organic farming." For example, forest gardening is a very old way of growing food. It's a fully organic system that has been around since ancient times. It's thought to be the world's oldest and strongest natural farm system.
Later, the Industrial Revolution brought new methods that used chemicals. Many of these methods were not fully understood and caused problems. Because of this, a movement for organic farming started in the 1940s. People wanted to farm without relying so much on man-made fertilizers and pesticides. This modern return to organic farming began in the early 20th century.
Farming Before World War II
The first 40 years of the 20th century saw big changes in farming. New discoveries in science and engineering happened quickly. The invention of the gasoline-powered engine brought in the tractor. This allowed for many new farm machines.
Scientists also learned more about plant breeding. This led to new types of hybrid seeds being sold. Also, a new way to make nitrogen fertilizer became cheap and easy to find. All these things changed how much work farmers needed to do. For example, in 1910, there were almost no tractors in the US. But by 1950, there were over 3 million! In 1900, one farmer could feed about 2.5 people. Today, one farmer can feed over 100 people.
Fields became larger, and farms grew only specific crops. This made it easier to use big machines. Machines, along with new chemicals, meant less need for manual labour and animal labour. This led to a time when farming machines developed very fast.
Consciously organic agriculture began around the same time in Europe and India. This was different from old traditional methods. Those methods were organic because there were no other options. But this new movement chose organic farming on purpose.
The British botanist Sir Albert Howard is often called the father of modern organic agriculture. He was the first to use modern science to study traditional farming. From 1905 to 1924, he and his wife Gabrielle worked in Pusa, Bengal. They studied traditional Indian farming. They thought these methods were better than the usual science-based farming of their time. Their research is in his 1940 book, An Agricultural Testament. This book influenced many scientists and farmers.
In Germany, Rudolf Steiner developed biodynamic agriculture. This was likely the first full system of what we now call organic farming. It started with lectures Steiner gave in 1924. Steiner believed farmers should guide and balance animals, plants, and soil. Healthy animals needed healthy plants for food. Healthy plants needed healthy soil. And healthy soil needed healthy animals for manure. His system was based on his philosophy, not just science.
In 1909, an American farmer named F.H. King visited China, Korea, and Japan. He studied their traditional farming methods. He wrote about his findings in Farmers of Forty Centuries (1911). King believed new and better farming methods would spread worldwide. His book later became an important guide for organic farming.
The phrase "organic farming" was created by Walter James (Lord Northbourne). He was a student of Biodynamic Agriculture. He used the term in his 1940 book Look to the Land. In this book, James described farming as a whole, balanced system. He called it "the farm as organism." This idea was based on Steiner's farming principles.
In 1939, Lady Eve Balfour started the Haughley Experiment in England. She had been farming since 1920. Lady Balfour believed that human health depended on how we used the soil. She thought that farming without chemicals could grow healthier food. This experiment aimed to gather facts to test her ideas. Four years later, she wrote The Living Soil. This book was based on the early results of the Haughley Experiment. Many people read it. It led to the creation of an important organic group, the Soil Association.
In Japan, Masanobu Fukuoka was a scientist who studied soil. He started to question modern farming. In 1937, he left his job and went back to his family farm. For the next 60 years, he worked on a special organic method. It was a no-till way to grow grain and other crops. This method is now known as natural farming.
Farming After World War II
New technologies from World War II quickly changed farming after the war. There were big steps forward in machines, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides. Two chemicals made for war were used for farming. Ammonium nitrate, used in bombs, became a cheap source of nitrogen. Also, new pesticides appeared. DDT, used to control insects that spread disease among soldiers, became a common bug killer. This started the time of widespread pesticide use.
At the same time, stronger farm machines allowed farmers to work larger areas. Fields grew bigger.
In 1944, a worldwide effort called the Green Revolution began in Mexico. It encouraged new hybrid plants, chemical controls, large irrigation systems, and heavy machinery.
During the 1950s, people were interested in sustainable agriculture. But most research focused on new chemical methods. One reason was the belief that the world's population was growing fast. Many thought this would soon cause food shortages. They believed only advanced farm technology could save humanity.
However, the bad effects of "modern" farming kept a small but growing organic movement alive. For example, in the U.S., J. I. Rodale helped make organic growing popular. He especially promoted organic gardening to people who bought food.
In 1962, Rachel Carson, a famous scientist, published Silent Spring. This book described how DDT and other pesticides harmed the environment. It was a bestseller and read worldwide. Silent Spring is seen as a key reason the US government banned DDT in 1972. The book and its author are often given credit for starting the worldwide environmental movement.
In the 1970s, global groups worried about pollution and the environment. They focused more on organic farming. As the difference between organic and regular food became clearer, the organic movement encouraged eating locally grown food. Slogans like "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" helped spread this idea.
An early group for organic farmers, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, was started in 1971.
In 1972, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) was founded in Versailles, France. It aimed to share information about organic farming ideas and practices across countries.
In 1975, Fukuoka released his book, The One-Straw Revolution. It had a big impact on some parts of the farming world. His way of growing grain on a small scale focused on balancing the local farm ecosystem. It also used very little human work.
In the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s, J. I. Rodale and his company, Rodale Press, supported organic farming. Their books gave advice to Americans who wanted to try organic gardening and farming.
In 1984, Oregon Tilth started one of the first organic certification services in the United States. This helped people know if food was truly organic.
In the 1980s, farming and consumer groups around the world pushed for government rules on organic food. This led to laws and certification standards being created through the 1990s and up to today. In the United States, the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 asked the USDA to create national standards for organic products. The final rules for the National Organic Program were published in 2000.
In Havana, Cuba, the country lost economic support from the Soviet Union in 1991. This led to a focus on local food production. Cuba developed a special government-supported urban organic farming program called organopónicos.
Since the early 1990s, the market for organic food has grown a lot. In developed countries, it has grown by about 20% each year. This is because more people want organic food. They are concerned about food quality and safety. They also worry about the environment being harmed by regular farming.
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