William
Bartram’s 1776 account of the Cuscowilla Indian village onthe south
edge of Payne’s Prairie, near present day Micanopy,describes a society
that lived in balance with their environment(Figure 1). He published Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida in 1791. In it he described how they produced their food, saying:
“They
plant but little here about the town; only a small garden plot at each
habitation, consisting of a little Corn, Beans, Tobacco, Citrus (and
more). Their plantation, which supplies them with the chief of their
vegetable provisions, lies on the rich prolific lands bordering on the
great Alachua savannah, about two miles distance”.
There
were no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. These savvy farmers grew
crops organically. They took the time to understand their environment,
and probably understood that their precious crop could be wiped out by
insects or weed competition. Imagine these early farmers, moving through
production areas; aware of every nuance regarding how various plants
and insects interact.
It is not a far stretch of the imagination. In
fact, these farmers knew certain insects ate the crops while others ate
insects.
Today, these insects are referred to as being either “pests” or
“beneficials”. In fact, nowadays you can purchase “good bugs” to eat
the “bad” bugs on your crop!
During the 19th
century, the demands of population growth on food supply were met with
new technologies including mechanized farming, chemical pesticides,
commercial fertilizers and vigorous plant breeding programs. These
methods made it possible to grow more food per acre than ever before.
However, rising fuel costs and increased competition for once abundant
natural resources like water motivate University of Florida/IFAS
researchers to constantly look for ways to produce crops more
efficiently while preserving the environment for many generations to
come.
Today,
organic production is a combination of new technology and traditional
methods. As a result of recent research, there are many new tools for
organic farmers to use including soil analysis, plant nutrient
monitoring and integrated pest management systems.
Additionally, there
are many new commercial organic fertilizers and pesticide products on
the market which have made organic farming more user-friendly than ever.
