What's New is Really Old
While many think of organic farming as something new that has gained in popularity since the 1980s, it is actually very old and indeed the traditional or original form of agriculture – how farming was always done. As such we can tap its roots deep into the annals of so-called ‘primitive’ civilizations, by tracking back some 12,000 years and beyond into prehistory. What is new historically is the use of synthetic fertilizers introduced in abundance during the early part of the 20th century and chemical pesticides used in the second half.
