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Some
concepts about organic
products and farming
Organically grown food
is a term that relates to food that is grown on a
certain kind of farm using methods of production that
care for the soil and the environment. Food that is
further processed is done so under guidelines that
ensure minimal chance of contamination and deterioration
in food quality.
Organic food therefore, presents consumers with a
perceived set of attributes that align themselves with
environmentally acceptable production techniques that minimize
the risk of contamination from pesticides, and also
delivers food that is wholesome and nutritious. Organic
food is produced by people that care for the health of
their customers and their environment.
Organic agriculture is a holistic production management
system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem
health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and
soil biological activity. It emphasizes the use of
management practices in preference to the use of
off-farm inputs. This is accomplished by using, where
possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods,
as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfill any
specific function within the system.
The
US department of Agriculture (USDA) established new
guidelines for the use of the word on food labels in
2001: they became law in the fall of 2002. The USDA
defines "organic" to mean foods whose
ingredients cannot have been made by using most synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides, genetic engineering, growth
hormones, irradiation or antibiotics.
-Learn
about Genetically Modified Crops-
-GM
Industry puts human genes into rice-
Ten reasons to buy
organic products:
1. TO PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
"We have not inherited the earth from our fathers,
we are borrowing it from our children" -Lester
Brown. The average child receives four times more
exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used
cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices made
now, determine your child's future health.
2. TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION
Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic
gardening. In conventional farming, however, the soil is
used more as a medium to hold plants in a vertical
position, so they can be chemically fertilized. Soil
structure is neglected and the top-soil is washed or
blown away.
3. TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY
Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers
three quarters of the planet. Pesticides and other
chemicals widely contaminate ground water and rivers and
pollute our primary source of drinking water.
4. TO SAVE ENERGY
Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other
industry. More energy is now used to produce synthetic
fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest crops.
Organic farming is still based on labor intensive
practices such as hand weeding, green manure and cover
crops instead of chemicals.
5. TO KEEP CHEMICALS OFF YOUR PLATE
Many pesticides and herbicides were registered long
before extensive research linking them to cancer and
other diseases could be established. They are poisons
designed to kill living organisms and can also harm
humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated
in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic
manipulations.
6. TO PROTECT FARM WORKERS
Farmers have a much larger risk than non-farmers of
contracting cancer. Farm worker health is also a serious
problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can
be poorly regulated. An estimated one million people are
poisoned annually by pesticides.
7. TO HELP SMALL FARMERS
Most organic farms are small, independently owned family
farms of less than 100 acres. Many family farms have
been lost this past decade. Organic farming could be one
of the few survival tactics left for family farms.
8. TO SUPPORT A TRUE ECONOMY
Although organic foods might seem more expensive than
conventional foods, conventional food prices don't
reflect hidden costs such as pesticide regulation and
testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean up and
environmental damage. If the hidden environmental and
social costs of chemically-produced conventional produce
were added to that produce, it would be more than double
the price of organic food.
9. TO PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY
The conventional farmer uses monoculture, the planting
of large plots of land with the same crop year after
year. This approach leaves the soil lacking in natural
minerals and nutrients, which have to be replaced by
chemical fertilizers in increasing amounts. Single crops
are also more susceptible to pests, making farmers more
reliant on pesticides. Insects have become genetically
resistant to certain pesticides and despite the
increased uses of chemicals, crop losses are increasing.
Organic farmers encourage natural predators on their
farms and are content with a smaller harvest. They also
practice crop rotation to add health and energy to the
soil.
10. FOR A BETTER TASTE
Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil,
which leads to the nourishment of the plant and,
ultimately, our palate. Ask the many chefs who prefer to
use organic foods.
Contact
us to find out more about organic products and improve
your quality life!
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