| Ten
reasons to go organic |
| The
first ten reasons below are reprinted from
Grow Organic No. 102 October-December 1997
Excerpted from an article by Sylvia Tawse
in Delicious, April 1994 and CROPO Issue
23, July,1995. |
|
| 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 fertilised. 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 fertilisers 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 fertilisers 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. |
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