Contrary to a widespread idea, organic agriculture is not a superficial or simplistic agriculture.  But elaborated and diversified work methods are used, based on the recycling of natural organic matters and on the crop rotation in order to respect the equilibrium of under ground organisms (bacteria, worms, etc…).  

Once on the market, these products are easily identified. The label should show the logo “AB” and the note “Agriculture biologique-système de contrôle CEE” (Organically grown and processed – EEC control system) with the name of the certificating organization, no other logo or mention in the denomination of the marketed produces has official status. Only the produces that respect the aforementioned schedule of conditions and contain at least 95% of organic ingredients can receive the certification from the French ministry of Agriculture. 
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Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are largely used by the conventional agriculture. The world synthetic fertilizer consumption was less than 7 millions tons in 1945, was more than 53 million tons in 1968, and is now more than 150 million tons a year. Fertilizers used by the conventional agriculture are very soluble and go directly down the plant, contrarily to natural fertilizers used in the organic agriculture that are first transformed in composites easily assimilated by plants. Consequently, the soil biological activity under conventional agriculture is no longer solicited and impoverish.   

Lots of other chain effects were reported, leading to only one observation: the degradation of the soil’s nutritious role, provoked by the conventional agriculture, is translated production wise with denatured fruits and vegetables in their composition.   

The toxic effect from heavy metals (lead, cadmium..) used in some fertilizers and pesticides and in manure of industrial livestock is higher when the humus rate is low.  This can be effectively observed in the conventional agriculture, with the drop in organic matter content.  Over a certain limit, the metals are absorbed by plants and therefore can be found in the human diet.  

Nitrate (well known for its carcinogen potential) is the most leached of all the elements brought by synthetic fertilizers, and therefore the most susceptible to contaminate ground waters. The natural nitrate rate of ground water rises variably depending on the regions: between 0.5 and 10 mg/liter/year; the most polluted regions are the ones where cereal cultures are intensive (North, Paris Basin, Beauce – France) and where there is industrial livestock (Finistère, France).   

The advanced selection of some breeds with high yields shows two risks: raising the fragility of inbreeding species, and the desertion of breeding areas, to which some breeds are not adapted to. 

It is difficult to evaluate the effects of conventional agriculture and derived food products on the human being health. A large amount of toxic agents are ingested through solid food and drinks. These toxic agents are of a very heterogeneous nature: mycotoxines, chemical residues used in non-organic agriculture (pesticides and fertilizers), food additives, natural vegetable components, products used for preparation, cooking, preserving.  At this time, there are 1500 different pesticides largely used by the conventional agriculture: about 1.5 to 2 tons/hectare of culture/year, in Europe. These are not harmless. 
 Now, the daily average ingestion for an adult is estimated at 15 micrograms of cadmium (1 microgram = 1 millionth of a gram) and 40 micrograms of lead. 

Actually, this is our way of formulating problems that should be revised: what do we know about long term cumulating and chronic effects of diffuse food’s micro pollution on the organism. Are statistic laws valid for the all population, can they be applied to the most sensitive (children, pregnant women, sick, aging persons)? For example, what is the cause of the worrying degradation of the genetic situation of the human being:  

 All in all, organic agriculture is an integrated approach over all life cycle of products (from the agriculture or breeding up to the market), based on an agriculture of high technology because of the necessity to master a large number of complex factors without destabilizing the natural balance. The organic agriculture way is to “nourish the soil to nourish the plant”, to use at best the natural resources; the conventional agriculture way is to ‘boost artificially the plant or the animal to produce more, faster’, without caring about the rhythms and natural cycles. That is why the prices of organic produces are usually between 5% and 50% more expensive than produces from intensive techniques. 
The growing importance of the organic sector could reveal a new awareness of the population, to bring the modern farm-produce industry in long lasting development logic, respecting the nature in every way including the human being.