**Organic farming** refers to the process of producing animals and plants without the use of chemically synthesized pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, feed additives, etc., as well as genetically engineered organisms and their products. Instead, it follows natural laws and ecological principles, adopting a series of sustainable agricultural technologies to balance crop cultivation and animal husbandry, maintaining the continuous stability of agricultural ecosystems. **Traditional agriculture**, on the other hand, refers to an agricultural production model that relies on long-accumulated agricultural production experience, primarily using human and animal power for cultivation, and employing agricultural or manual measures or traditional pesticides for pest, disease, and weed control.
**Organic food** refers to agricultural products and their processed goods that come from organic agricultural production systems, are produced and processed according to organic agricultural standards, and are certified by independent certification agencies.
### Differences between Organic Food and Other Foods
In addition to organic food, relevant departments in China are also promoting other labeled foods such as pollution-free food and green food. Pollution-free food is produced according to pollution-free food production and technical standards and requirements, meets general hygiene standards, and is recognized by relevant authorities as a safe food. Strictly speaking, pollution-free food should be a basic requirement that all ordinary foods should meet. Green food is a type of food developed by China's agricultural department in the early 1990s, divided into Grade A green food and Grade AA green food. Among them, the production of Grade A green food allows limited use of chemically synthesized production materials, while Grade AA green food has stricter requirements, prohibiting the use of chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, feed additives, food additives, and other substances harmful to the environment and health during production. Essentially, green food is a transitional product from ordinary food to organic food.
The differences between organic food and other foods are reflected in the following aspects:
1) **Use of synthetic substances**: In the production and processing of organic food, the use of artificial synthetic substances such as pesticides, fertilizers, and hormones is absolutely prohibited, and genetic engineering technology is not allowed. Other foods, however, allow limited use of these technologies and do not prohibit the use of genetic engineering technology. For example, green food does not specify regulations regarding genetic engineering and radiation technology.
2) **Production transition**: Transitioning from producing other foods to organic food requires a conversion period of 2-3 years, while producing other foods (including green food and pollution-free food) does not have such conversion period requirements.
3) **Quantity control**: Organic food certification requires designated plots and yields, while other foods do not have such strict requirements.
Therefore, producing organic food is much more challenging than producing other types of food. It requires establishing a completely new production system and monitoring system, adopting corresponding alternative technologies for pest and disease control, soil fertility protection, seed breeding, product processing, and storage.