They wanted a more sustainable method of healthy farming practices.
Evidences show that in the Pre World War II period agriculture was mainly based on chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides, which are harmful to the human body. There were 7000 artificial and chemical preservatives like colors, fillers, hydrogenated fats, and residual antibiotics present in the non-organic food. All these are banned in organic foods. The term organic food was first coined by Lord Northbourne in his book “Look to the Land’ in 1939. In this book he described the method of organic farming as holistic and ecologically-balanced approach to farming.
During the Pre-World War II people witnessed an accelerated advancement in biochemistry and engineering that rapidly and profoundly changed the method of farming. The introduction of the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine led to a new era of the tractor. The nitrogen fertilizers and commercialized hybrid seeds led to the introduction of new manufacturing process. As a result the labor equation changed considerably. In 1910 there were some 600 tractors in USA but the number increased to 3 million by 1950. Also it was seen that in 1900 one farmer could feed only 2.5 people but now one farmer can feed almost 100 persons. As a result of the introduction of mechanized farming and efficient machinery the farms also became large.
History of organic farming in Pre-World War II shows that in about 1920 organic farming simultaneously developed in Central Europe and India. Sir Albert Howard, a British Botanist is considered as the father of organic farming. He worked in PUSA Bengal as an agricultural advisor from 1905 to 1924. He dealt with the traditional Indian farming practices which he documented in his book Agricultural Testament in 1940 where he regarded the traditional Indian farming is superior to his conventional agriculture. His book influenced many farmers in the later period.
Biodynamic agriculture developed by Rudolf Steiner in Germany was probably the first comprehensive organic farming system. Steiner emphasized on the proper interaction between the animals and plants and soil and the farmers role in maintaining such an interaction. He says that this interaction is a vicious cycle because a healthy animal depended upon healthy plants for their food, healthy plants upon healthy soil, whereas a healthy soil upon healthy animals for the manure.
Lady Eve Balfour influenced by Sir Albert Howard's work, launched the book called Haughley Experiment on Farmland in England in 1939. It is considered the first scientific, comparison of organic and conventional farming. Masanobu Fukuoka a Japanese microbiologist working in soil science and plant pathology doubted the modern agricultural movement. In 1940s, he left his job as a research scientist, went back to his family's farm, and devoted the next 30 years to developing a radical no-till organic method for growing grain. This method is now famous as Fukuoka Farming named after him.
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