Farming is an economic activity of many people in the world and it’s a dream to every farmer to have a good farm yield all time. But then, all these goals come true after a full struggle on applying the right farming methods at large. Weed control is among the measures that should be put in place to achieve high yields; control of pests come another measure and many other things that should be done to enhance high yields. With the introduction of Roundup products, weed control seemed to be something that had been encountered for good. But then, as it is known, anything with benefits has also some side effects with it. Over 20 years of exposure to roundup products, scientists have also been busy documenting some of the side effects of these products in our food, the air we breathe, the water we drink and also where our young ones play. Read on to learn the side effects of these roundup products;
The side effects roundup products bring to our bodies
ADHD
ADHD also is known as attention deficit disorder is believed to have a strong correlation with the roundup products in the farming communities. This condition arises due to the glyphosate’s capacity in the products to create a strong disruption of thyroid hormone functions.
Alzheimer’s disease
Scientists have proved that these products have the capability to cause similar oxidative stress and also neural cell death that has been observed in Alzheimer’s disease. It brings a great effect to an enzyme called CaMKII whose dysregulation has strong links to this disease.
Birth defects
Research carried out into the babies’ neural tube defects who are borne to women who live in areas not far from roundup products application sites greatly showed a kind of strong association of glyphosate with anencephaly, a type of birth defect to children. This is a condition that you will note the absence of a key brain portion, the scalp, and skull that forms when an embryo develops.
Depression
Usage of the roundup products has been associated with the disruption of chemical processes that affects the production of an important body neurotransmitter called serotonin which is responsible to regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. The impairment of serotonin has been linked to this problem.
Why using all natural products is safe
Better for the Environment
The influence of reduced nutrient leaching and increased organic matter combined means that phosphorus and nitrogen elements will settle at the roots of your plants instead of them ending up at the local waterways. The major culprit of algae blooms development on our ponds and lakes is the nutrient leaching from agriculture. The entire eutrophication process will disrupt the ecosystem and in turn rendering water unsafe for human consumption.
Non-toxic Food
The usage of natural fertilizers gives us a surety that the food products that we produce for human consumption are free of any harmful chemicals. This means that we will be less prone to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, we will have reduced birth defects, skin disorders, and many others.
Alternatives to roundup products
Compost
This is an excellent natural lawn care alternative to consider in your natural gardening program. This natural fertilizer is made from the decomposition of plant matters like the vegetable peels, coffee grounds, the egg shells and other natural scraps out there. This is a cost-free natural type of fertilizer to those who will consider making their own. There is also commercial compost that can be purchased by those who own large lawns. This is a natural fertilizer that provides the soil a balanced mixture if nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen regardless of its source.
Manure
This is another alternative that does double duty just like the compost by adding important nutrients to our soil and also improving soil water retention ability and its entire quality. This kind of natural fertilizer comes from livestock droppings like the cattle, sheep, horses and also the chicken. These manures should be applied to the soil in advance or use as composted manures since they may cause food-borne illness.
Marine byproducts
Is a natural fertilizer that can provide our soils with different health alternatives. From a partially decomposed groundfish, we get fish emulsion; this is a natural fertilizer type that provides the soil with nitrogen at high levels. Another marine byproduct is the fish scrap that contains both phosphorus and nitrogen.
