Organic Farming: Food for Thought

ORGANIC FARMING: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The principles, history, soil and weed management, livestock, standards, and world trends

Editors:

Mohamed Abdel-Raheem¹, Muna Ibrahim Jassem² and Muhammad Naeem Iqbal³

1 Pests & Plant Protection Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33^rd El Buhouth St, (Postal code: 12622) Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

2 Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Kerbala, Iraq.

3 PSM Academy, Narowal (51770), Pakistan.

1 abdelraheem_nrc@yahoo.com, ORCID 0000-0001-9240-064X

2 muna.i@uokerbala.edu.iq, ORCID 0000-0003-4387-6283

3 driqbalmn@hotmail.com, ORCID 0000-0002-6082-0196

Published by: PSM Press | Prolific Science Media, London, E6 2JA, United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

p. vi: List of Contributing Authors

p. 1: Introduction

p. 2: Organic farming
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Jige Sandipan B.

p. 16: Organic agriculture
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem, S.R. Rajkumar and Denny Philip

p. 29: Relationship between insects and plants
Muna Ibrahim Jassem and Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

p. 45: Organic farming and insects
Muna Ibrahim Jassem and Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

p. 63: Organic farming and insects control
Muna Ibrahim Jassem and Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

p. 76: Balancing sustainability metrics
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem, Muhammad Naeem Iqbal and Ali Ibadi Manea

p. 85: Effect of pesticides on insect systems
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Viyan Ghazi Mohammed

p. 102: Soil fertility and organic farming
Samar N. Al Bayrakdar

p. 118: Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Jitamoni Bhattacharyya

p. 130: Biodiversity of organic agriculture
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Questan Ali Ameen

p. 139: Using legumes as green manure
Raghad Nawaf Gergees Alzaidy

p. 155: Environmental indicators for organic farming
Nour Sabah Niji Al Salihi

p. 171: The role of tissue culture in organic farming
Salah Abbas Zaidan Al-Tamimi

p. 189: Organic farming and organic agriculture techniques
Bayader Abd Al-Jabbar Ali

p. 202: Effect of organic farming on plant viruses and insects
Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Raghad Naif Mheedi Saleh AlGwaree

p. 225: Effects of organic plants on cryptosporidium and immunity
Samaher Hazim Sultan Al Nuaimi, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Ahed J Alkhatib

p. 236: Green Energy, plant physiology and the secrets of organic agriculture
Sajida Saeed Aziz and Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

List of Contributing Authors

Mohamed Abdel-Raheem, Pests & Plant Protection Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Centre, 33^rd El Buhouth St, (Postal code: 12622) Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

Muna Ibrahim Jassem, Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Kerbala, Iraq.

Muhammad Naeem Iqbal, PSM Academy, Narowal (51770), Pakistan.

Jige Sandipan B., Sant Ramdas Colledge Ghansawangi Dist. Jalna (UG College), India.

S.R. Rajkumar, Head & Librarian, Rev. Fr. EJ Thomas SJ Library & Information Centre, St. Joseph’s College, Pilathara, Kannur University, Kerala, India.

Denny Philip, Principal, St.Joseph’s College, Pilathara, Kannur University, Kerala, India.

Viyan Ghazi Mohammed, Plant protection Department, College of Agricultural Engineering Science, University of Duhok, Kurdistan, Iraq.

Samar N. Al Bayrakdar, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tikrit University, College of Education, Tuz Khurmatu, Iraq.

Jitamoni Bhattacharyya, Librarian at Biswanath College.Former guest faculty member of Biswanath Agriculture College, India.

Questan Ali Ameen, Animal Sciences Dept., College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Sulaimani, 46001,  Sulaimani, Iraq.

Raghad Nawaf Gergees Alzaidy, Department of Biology, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Mosul, Iraq.

Nour Sabah Niji Al Salihi, Ministry of Education, Iraq.

Salah Abbas Zaidan Al-Tamimi, Ministry of Education, Iraq.

Bayader Abd Al-Jabbar Ali, Horticulture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Qasim Green, Iraq.

Raghad Naif Mheedi Saleh AlGwaree, Plant Protection Section, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Mosul University, Iraq.

Samaher Hazim Sultan Al Nuaimi, Department of Life Sciences, College of Education for Women, University of Mosul, Iraq.

Ahed J Alkhatib, Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Jordan (retired); International Mariinskaya Academy, department of medicine and critical care, department of philosophy, Academician secretary of department of Sociology; Cypress International Institute University, Texas, USA..

Sajida Saeed Aziz, Department of Horticulture, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Sulaimani, Iraq.

Ali Ibadi Manea, Horticulture and landscaping, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Qasim Green, Iraq.

Introduction

Organic agriculture is a farming method that prioritizes the preservation of soil and ecosystem vitality, biodiversity, and animal well-being by refraining from the use of artificial fertilizers, pesticides, genetically altered organisms (GMOs), and antibiotics, favoring instead natural processes and materials. Essential techniques involve the rotation of crops, composting, the incorporation of green manures and legumes to enhance soil health, and the promotion of natural pest management through biodiversity and biological resources. This comprehensive strategy strives for enduring production that is ecologically sustainable and supports wholesome nutrition and welfare for individuals and societies.
Organic farming is a sustainable agricultural method that employs ecologically friendly pest management techniques and organic fertilizers obtained primarily from animal and plant residues, as well as nitrogen-fixing cover crops. The adoption of modern organic farming practices was a result of the environmental damage caused by the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in traditional agriculture, and it offers numerous ecological advantages.
Compared to conventional agriculture, organic farming relies less on pesticides, mitigates soil erosion, reduces nitrate contamination of groundwater and surface water, and repurposes animal waste within the farming system. However, these benefits are accompanied by higher costs for consumers and generally lower crop yields. Studies have shown that organic crop yields on average fall about 25 percent short of conventionally grown crops, although this disparity can vary significantly depending on the crop type. The future of organic agriculture will entail maintaining its environmental advantages, enhancing crop yields, lowering costs, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change and a growing global population.

Mohamed Abdel-Raheem and Muhammad Naeem Iqbal