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Why Organic Cotton
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What is "Organic Cotton?"
The concept of Organic Cotton first came into the mind as a benefit to the environment and health of soil, plants, animals and overall for people with production beginning in Turkey in the late 1980s by GGF.
The most notable groups of insecticides used on conventional cotton production are Parathyroid/ Organnophosphate/Methamidophos/Monocrotophos which are acutely toxic and highly hazardous to health. They are capable of causing problems to the nervous system. There can also be significant amounts of herbicides, fungicides and defoliants in conventional cotton production, along with synthetic fertilizer, which are hazardous to health.
In the production of Organic Cotton, Insecticides/Pesticides/Synthetic Fertilizer are not being used. Free from any kind of health or environmental hazards, by choosing Organic Cotton products, you will be helping to eliminate the extensive amount of toxic chemicals used in the farming process. Organic Cotton products are designed to be enjoyed as totally environmentally friendly.
Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have
a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems
replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic
and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically
diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations
verify that organic producers use only methods and materials
allowed in organic production. Organic cotton is grown without
the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically
engineered seed for organic farming.
Organic cotton was grown in 22 countries worldwide with the Top Ten producer countries led by India and including (in order of rank) Turkey, Syria, Tanzania, China, United States, Uganda, Peru, Egypt and Burkina Faso. Approximately 220,000 farmers grew the fiber.
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Organic Vs Conventional Cotton
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ORGANIC
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CONVENTIONAL
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Living soil is the basis of the organic farm: free of toxic chemicals for at least three years and enriched by compost and other organic matter. |
The conventional field is a sterile environment, in which microbial, plant and insect diversity is selectively eliminated for the purpose of growing just one plant. |
The concept is simple: vigorous plants resist insects, weeds and diseases better than those under stress due to repeated chemical applications. |
By feeding the plants heavy dosages of synthetic fertilizers, and eliminating competing species, it is reasoned, you create maximum yields. |
By working with nature to create a diverse farm ecosystem, you produce optimal growing conditions. |
An arsenal of chemical herbicides, insecticides and defoliants - broadly referred to as pesticides - exists to combat weeds, ward off insects and facilitate harvest. Without these chemical tools, it is believed, the unarmed farmer faces near-certain crop failure. |
The field is a bug eat bug world, in which a "natural enemy complex" of predator and parasite insects keep pests in check. Pest infestations are seen as messengers of fields out of balance, rather than signals for chemical spray programs. |
Much of the present conventional farm practice is done in the name of economy and efficiency. And in the competitive world marketplace, there is the continual pressure to produce more for less money. |
The organic world view requires more "eyes to the acre," walking fields to catch potential problems early, sometimes substituting hand labor for chemical- oriented solutions. |
Although government subsidies guarantee U.S. farmers a minimum price for their crops, financing is almost impossible to receive without chemical programs in place. |
Because the majority of the agricultural industry equates organic methods with assured losses in yields, an assumption, which is untrue, the most difficult task these farmers face is not in growing, but in finding financing or direct markets for their crops. |
The market, the university system, and agri-business are driven by the paradigm that chemicals are necessary for successful farming. |
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