Organic vs. conventional farming

Hundreds of years ago, everything was grown organically. No one grew monocultures; there was a balance in nature. The good insects ate the bad insects, and additional planting took care of the rest. Some crop loss was expected and fruits and vegetables didn't have to be the same size and shape.

It was only our greed for more crops per acre that resulted in the use of artificial fertilizers. Suddenly, the balance of nature was gone. These artificial fertilizers and the practice of growing monocultures caused an increase of damaging insects that then called for damaging chemical pesticids. And as the insects grew more resistant to the chemicals so the chemicals to fight these pests became more and more poisonous.

Currently over 350 of these chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and on these farms crops can be sprayed up to 30 times in a season with a mix of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

One hundred years ago, all of our food was:
Organically grown – without toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers
Locally grown – transport from thousands of km away didn’t exist
Minimally processed compared to today
Not genetically modified – technology wasn’t developed
Not nearly as hybridized as most food is today.

It’s widely known that that organic farming generates healthy soils and don't poison ecosystems with toxic and harmful chemicals and disease causing pesticides.But it’s also very sad to acknowledge that using chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and harmful drugs on a broad scale is making the soil infertile, depleted and damaged. The plants, both through their leaves, fruit and through the soil, absorb these chemicals and it’s proven that it would take 2 times as much time as it was used for planting in order to “heal” and purify our soil from using these chemicals from our troops. But we can make small steps at the time. Starting with buying from local farmers and avoid purchasing produce from huge industrialized, conventional farms which treat their crops for commercial purposes without considering the damage caused for the future generations.

If we want food, which is better for us, our family, wildlife and our environment as a whole we should eat organic and locally raised fruits and vegetables. There are several reasons to do so. For one, many people say they prefer organic food because it tastes better and is a whole lot fresher. For the second, organic farmers together with Toucheng Leisure Farms use grow and rotate a mixture of crops to keep the soil fertile and use other natural methods to prevent disease and reduce pests. They work with nature rather than fight it which is beneficial for the environment. Toucheng Leisure Farm is haven for wildlife and provides homes for bees, birds, butterflies, domestic pigs, goats, water buffalos and greenery. A research supported by major conservation groups found that plant, insect and bird life is up to 50% greater on organic farms. Organic farming also produces less carbon dioxide (the main global warming gas) as well as fewer dangerous wastes generally. So choosing organic, local and seasonal food can significantly reduce carbon footprint and improve our health as well as “health” of our soil and environment.

The main idea behind farming at Toucheng Leisure farm is that the Earth is a living, interconnected organism, and that farm should work with, harness, and encourage it. Our farm functions as a strong, self-sustaining and vibrant single organism that recognizes and respects the basic principles at work in nature. As another form of organic farming, artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are strictly avoided. The special manure and herb-based preparations that are applied to rice paddy fields and compost have been shown to significantly improve the health and well being of soil, plant and animal as well as enhancing the vitality, flavor and keeping qualities of our crops.

The main mission of ecological farming in Toucheng Leisure Farm is about sustainability in an all-encompassing sense—food production that gives enough back enough to the land so it remains healthy. If done responsibly, farming helps cleanse the land, water and air we need to survive. And it is the increasing lack of these resources that motivates us to grow our crops the way we do.