In modern times, the discussion over organic and conventional agriculture has become important since consumers highly consider the possible health and environmental advantages of organic foods. However, misinformation has succeeded mainly in describing the perceived health advantages of organic products over their conventional partners during this debate. As such, misconceptions dominate, directing people to adopt misinformation although scientific evidence shows no conflict in health impacts between the two; handling these matters is important since it affects consumer decisions and thoughts of agricultural activities. Therefore, consumers can articulate effective choices corresponding to their values and preferences by eradicating these myths and promoting understanding.
Consequently, System 1 processing is one of the leading drivers of misinformation in organic and conventional agriculture, originating from cognitive processes. However, this driver is featured by instant and automatic judgements that depend on heuristic instead of evaluative reasoning. Research carried out by Sihi et al. shows the vitality of perennial organic farming activities in raising soil health(Sihi et al., 2017). Under this, people can understand evidence of paramount nutritional content in organic substances without recognizing other aspects. As such, when people get information on healthier organic farming, they can accept it without analyzing the evidence. For example, in 2023, during the rise of organic food consumption, the majority cultivated the perspective of healthier organic produce without any assessment causing misinformation.
Cultural recognition and prejudiced assimilation extensively affect people’s thoughts concerning organic and conventional agriculture. However, the people’s cultural values influence their attitudes towards varying farming activities with personalized and hierarchical values, which always favour conventional agriculture and communitarian values inclined towards organic farming(Gomiero, 2018). This perspective coincides with research showing that cultural values are important in manipulating ideas concerning agricultural activities. Additionally, biased assimilation greatly blends with these variances as individuals understand information in a way that proves their persistent beliefs(Zhao et al., 2023). For example, research in 2023 disclosed that people with powerful autonomous values dismissed evidence reinforcing the health significance of organic foods if it conflicted with their developed ideas concerning conventional agriculture. This shows how cultural cognition and biased assimilation cause the dominance of misinformation revolving around organic and conventional farming methods.
Cognitive dissonance and conspiracy theories result in aroundin misinformation revolving around organic and conventional agriculture. However, when people highly believe in the prestige of organic farming, they may face cognitive dissonance when depicted with evidence questioning this belief, causing them to refuse such manifestation to maintain intrinsic persistence (Ecker, 2022). As such, this idea was evident in 2023 when consumers were devoted to organic farming activities and dismantled scientific research proposing that particular conventional farming methods would be sustainable and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, conspiracy theories moving at that time, which showed that strong corporate interests maximized conventional agriculture, extensively placed these people in their ideas and ignited mistrust towards conventional farming activities(ARN Foods, 2024). Thus, this shows that cognitive dissonance and conspiracy theories can destroy thoughts and cause misinformation on organic and conventional agriculture.
Significantly, scientific evidence and expertise are responsible for eradicating misinformation in organic and conventional agriculture. Research by Armesto et al. delivers a detailed evaluation of several farming methods’ nutritional levels and environmental effects(Armesto et al., 2020). As the case, a study published in 2022 at the University of Maryland compared the nutritional information of organic and conventional produce, finding no differences in the nutrients evaluated. This evidence was important as it disapproved that organic foods are healthier. Besides, experts in the sector, such as environmental scientists, offer an impactful understanding of sustainable farming practices and their impacts on soil health and biodiversity(OrganicKrate, 2022). Expert interviews and peer publications aid stakeholders in promoting a vast comprehension of the challenges of agricultural systems by spreading this information to the public via available sources. Therefore, the community can make informed choices on food production and consumption, thus remedying the dissemination of misinformation and promoting effective agricultural practices.
In summation, misinformation revolving around organic and conventional agriculture originates from an intersection of cognitive biases, cultural influence and conspiracy theories. Dealing with this issue calls for a broad strategy composed of scientific evidence, promoting critical thinking and having apparent communication among stakeholders. As such, people can equip consumers with the idea required to go through the importance of food decisions freely by eradicating myths and spreading correct information. This model strengthens people’s ability to articulate effective choices and promotes a deeper, evidence-based understanding of organic and conventional agricultural activities. Thus, people can work towards a more sustainable and balanced food system by handling misinformation directly.
References
Armesto, J., Rocchetti, G., Senizza, B., Pateiro, M., Barba, F. J., Domínguez, R., Lucini, L., & Lorenzo, J. M. (2020). Nutritional characterization of Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata D.): Effect of variety (Ariel vs. Pluto) and farming type (conventional vs. organic). Food Research International, 132, 109052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109052
ARN Foods. (2024). The Benefits of Organic Food: A Healthier Choice for You and the Planet. Www.linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/benefits-organic-food-healthier-choice-you-planet-arn-farms-vgonf/?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content
Ecker, U. K. H. (2022). The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction.
Gomiero, T. (2018). Food quality assessment in organic vs. conventional agricultural produce: Findings and issues. Applied Soil Ecology, 123, 714–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.10.014
OrganicKrate. (2022). What is the scientific evidence that eating organic foods is healthier than processed foods? Www.linkedin.com. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-scientific-evidence-eating-organic-foods-healthier-than-/
Sihi, D., Dari, B., Sharma, D. K., Pathak, H., Nain, L., & Sharma, O. P. (2017). Evaluation of soil health in organic vs. conventional farming of basmati rice in North India. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, 180(3), 389–406. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201700128
Zhao, S., Hu, S., Zhou, X., Song, S., Wang, Q., Zheng, H., Zhang, Y., & Hou, Z. (2023). The Prevalence, Features, Influencing Factors, and Solutions for COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation: Systematic Review. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 9(1), e40201. https://doi.org/10.2196/40201
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