Why Organic?

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Why Organic? JoAnn Guest Jul 28, 2003 14:53 PDT

Why Organic?

 

 

For a total approach to healthy, natural and nutritious eating,

organically grown foods are definitely the answer.

 

Organic foods are free from harmful contaminants and are grown without

recourse to artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Organic

farming is concerned with building up a thriving,living soil in which a

dynamic balance between harmful and beneficial organisms emerges.

 

This lends itself to strong and nutritious crops as well as avoiding the

steady destruction of our farmlands which results from intensive

agricultural farming methods.

 

 

 

Organic Farming

The main points which distinguish organic farming are:

 

No artificial fertilizers are used.

No synthetic sprays are used.

 

Livestock is kept in as natural conditions as possible (e.g. " free

range " hens) with no additives such as growth hormones in feed.

 

Treatment of crops is by natural means - compost, animal manure, clovers

and deep-rooting herbs are used.

 

Crop rotation is practiced to discourage disease and to avoid the

starving of farmlands which occurs when the same crop is grown every

year.

 

Why not Chemical Fertilizers?

 

If we dose our crops with artificial fertilizers, we are systematically

reducing the life in the soil.

 

Farming is extractive and soil organic matters are falling.

 

Many of the chemical fertilizers applied to crops ultimately find their

way into watercourses where they encourage abundant weed growth; choking

other aquatic organisms.

 

Much of our drinking water supplies are now so contaminated by nitrate

pollution that the EC and World Health Organisations standards say it is

unfit to drink.

 

 

Why not Insecticides and Fungicides?

 

In 1950 there were only 15 insecticides and fungicides in common use in

agriculture. By 1975 this had mushroomed to 800 chemical formulations.

In 1986 there were 1000 commercial applications cleared for use in the

UK under the Pesticides Safety Precaution Scheme.

 

You would assume that at least insect damage would be decreasing.

 

In fact, this is not so; the problem is increasing each year!

 

In brief, this is due to the fact that in killing a particular pest

insect with pesticide, the insects which are their predators also begin

to die off.

 

The resistant individuals of the original breed who have survived the

insecticides will now proliferate unchecked, so increasing the overall

insect population.

 

 

What is the effect on our Foods?

 

Food produced with the aid of chemicals can contain up to 20% more water

than organically produced foods due to the fact that fertilizers promote

a lusher growth with a higher moisture content.

 

This explains the tastelessness of much of our non-organic food.

 

The higher water content also means that moulds will grow more readily

on foods produced by intensive farming methods.

 

Also, organic produce is less likely to shrivel when stored and will

therefore retain its quality more effectively.

 

Schupan discovered that nutritionally valuable substances were generally

higher in organic products;

 

protein by about 18%, Vitamin C by 28%, total sugars 19%, methionine

23%, potassium 18%, calcium 10% and phosphate 13%.

 

 

So Organics Win?

 

Yes! Organic Farming enables a maintenance of the natural environment

and soil composition. Insect population and wildlife retain their

natural balance and life-cycles, whilst food products will be free from

artificial and chemical contaminants. Organic foods are generally higher

in nutritional value, tastier and more enjoyable.

 

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JoAnn Guest

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