Organic foods and products might seem more expensive than conventional products, but there is a hidden cost when organic is ignored.
1. Do you really want chemicals in your food and the environment?
Now this may be obvious, but much of our food is produced using chemicals, such as pesticides and herbicides. These chemicals are often toxic to us in their raw, concentrated form and are designed to kill insects, bacteria and fungal organisms that cause disease to produce. These toxic chemicals build up in the vegetables, fruits and grains we grow, end up in our diet, only to accumulate in us. They are linked to cancer, birth defects and other diseases. So doesn’t it make a lot of sense to eat organic? Remember “you are what you eat”.
2. Caring for our children and future generations
Did you know that your baby is much more susceptible to toxins and pollutants than you are? It can take months for your baby to develop a natural barrier function in their skin, so you need to be careful with what skincare you use on your children. Also, our children are exposed far more than we ever were in the food we eat.
“We have not inherited the earth from our fathers; we are borrowing it from our children” -Lester Brown. It is not just about the food we eat or the products we use. It is about what kind of world we are going to leave to future generations.
3. Organic uses less energy
Organic farming relies a lot more on manual labour such as hand weeding and green manure with little need for fossil fuel. Intensive farming tends to use more petroleum than any other industry because the energy that is needed to manufacturer the synthetic fertilisers and insecticides, preparing the soil, sowing and harvesting the plants.
4. Looks after our water quality
When we don’t grow organically, pesticides and other chemicals contaminate the ground water, rivers, lakes and oceans, as well as polluting our primary source of drinking water. Need to say anymore?
5. Growing organically prevents soil erosion
An organic farmer goes to a lot of trouble to improve the soil naturally. The natural environment is taken into consideration and a lot of effort is made in retaining the soil components and condition. However, in conventional farming less attention is paid to the soil and it is seen as a medium to hold plants. Crops are turned over on a regular basis with little thought for the soil structure, which often means the top-soil is washed or blown away.
6. Organic farming and production protect the workers
Workers and farmers are at much larger risk of inhaling and absorbing toxic chemicals from handling crops, fruit, vegetables and materials produced in conventional manner. Often it is the health of workers in developing nations that suffer the most because of poor regulation of chemicals and labour laws. With organic production, the workers are not placed at a risk of coming in contact with toxic chemicals because of the process.
7. Organic farming supports poorer communities
Demand for organic materials increases the need for organic farms Most organic farms are small, family owned farms on allotments less than 100 acres. This could be a way for developing countries to build thriving businesses for family farms.
8. By demanding for organic you are promoting biodiversity
You just have to look at the grain crops to see how conventional farming promotes monoculture growing (the planting of the same crop on large plots of land every year). The soil becomes less fertile, chemical fertilisers are used in greater amounts and the soil lacks in natural nutrients and minerals. Conventional farmers become more reliant on pesticides. As time goes on insects and pests become more resistant to certain pesticides, causing crop losses.
On the other hand, organic farming tends to grow smaller crops, practices crop rotation and encourages natural predators on their farms.
The environmental damage caused by conventional farming is huge, not just in economic cost, but it has led to overuse of toxic chemicals, hazardous waste disposal, changes to our health and our environment. It might be worth paying the few extra cents for Organic.
Let’s be earthly passionate,
Attracta & the earthly passion team