5 Reasons to Go Organic

5 Reasons to Go Organic: What it Means for the Earth and You

Written by Jesse Richardson on May 10, 2011 with 1 Comment

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Organic food – when it comes to both the farming and consuming – is more than a simple trend or fashion statement. It’s about making a stance on health and environmental issues that are running rampant in our world today. It’s about making a choice to live a healthier life and support a healthier planet.

Despite these recognizable truths, some people have a hard time believing the “organic” mantra. Does organic food really have health benefits? How is it any safer than industrial farming? Can it really feed the world?

All these questions and more are poignant with consumers today, and will be for the foreseeable future, even as organic living works its way into mainstream consciousness. The fact is that there will always be skepticism and debate, and organic is no exception to that rule.

In the hopes of answering some of these questions, though, here are five reasons to go organic. Hopefully, they’re as satisfying as eating organic food.

Number 1. Better Farming means a Healthier World

The difference between chemically farmed food and organic food starts at the farm. Industrial agriculture irresponsibly uses million of tons of pesticides and artificial fertilizers to “create” the perfect growing conditions. They spend millions in both their own and our government’s money to cover these costs and keep prices artificially low. And while the farming is indeed ‘easier’, there is something going on behind the scenes.

The soil loses vast amount of nutrients, weakened by an over abundance of artificial fertilizers and chemical treatments. The seeds are mostly genetically engineered (GMO) with the help of bacterium like Escherichia coli or salmonella the help them resist herbicides, which is the next olive in this volatile cocktail. Pound upon pound of herbicide and pesticide are dusted on to the plants, killing all life besides the engineered crops by attacking their central nervous systems. The good is killed alongside the bad.

These practices along with over tilling makes the soil void of nutrients and incredibly weak. Deposits of these chemicals also make their way into streams and rivers, and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, soil is zapped, wildlife is poisoned, and dead zones begin to develop. Soil erosion becomes likely, spelling threat to those who live near large rivers like the Mississippi, and it begins to be difficult to calculate the real cost of this farming system.

Organic changes that. Natural fertilizers are used alongside natural pesticides. Cover cropping, algae crop rotation, and healthy seeds are employed instead of the former. This breaks the entire cycle, strengthening our soil, rivers, and security.

Number 2. Healthier Food means Healthier People

Imagine a world without these farming practices. What would it look like? Well, it would be a healthier one. Food without chemicals, food that isn’t engineered by man (not Mother Earth or God), and food that doesn’t destroy our lands are all a welcome change.

Truth is, both the people and planet prosper. Profit is important, but not at the expense that we pay.

With changes to organic, people are longer exposed to chemicals that are known to have adverse health effects. Further, plants and vegetables are grown in an environment thatpromotes increased anti-oxidant formation, meaning the carry stronger health benefits.

Number 3. Organic Farming equals Jobs

Chemical farming is not only destructive to the environment, it is also destructive for the modern farm worker. By streamlining the process (a usually positive corporate strategy), it removes the necessity for a workforce of laborers. Instead of relying on chemicals to nourish soils, natural compost mixed into soil  provides for healthier plants and less harsh farming conditions.

In fact, according to studies in the United Kingdom, organic farming creates about 32% more jobs per farm than chemical farming. The study goes on to suggest that organic farmers tend to be more entrepreneurial. These same types of results are seen in the states as well, as illustrated in the state of Maine.

Number 4. Organic Farming provides food that Meets our Demand

“We cannot feed the world on organic.” “There are going to be a billion new people in xyzyear. How are we going to feed all of them.”

These are mantra rattled away by chemical farming executives, and they are nothing new. This argument against organic farming is the one that confuses me the most. At its root, the intention is to create artificial demand.

Yes, there are starving people in the world, and I would never belittle that fact. But the truth remains that we produce much more than we currently consume as a nation. Even with exports to hungry parts of the world, we still have extra food. And we always have. Those with interest in industrial farming have been using this argument since the beginning and it has always been false.

A follow up to this is the great masquerade of science. “Organic farming produces a far lower yield than chemical farming.” This is, in essence, a complete fabrication. Preliminary “experiments” done by massive agriculture companies tested chemically treated crops compared to idle crops – not crops that undergo natural composting and fertilizer or other organic methods of growing. They cooked the books.

Instead, experiments that provide organic farming a level playing field show that there are equal if not comparable yields. Sometimes, organic even out performs chemical, namely because the soil absorbs more water and the plants are stronger, protecting them from flood and drought. Organic farming also increases carbon sequestration, which helps combat climate change.

Number 5. Organic Culture is Sustainable

Perhaps most importantly, I argue that organic culture is inherently sustainable. I don’t mean this in just the way that it promotes sustainable living (which it does, and which is something that is desperately needed). Instead, I mean that it inculcates a sense of community, togetherness, and environmental stewardship for the greater good, not just for an individual’s sake.

This helps us sustain our society, not just our planet, by raising social capital and making social responsibility as important as personal determination. It shows that there isn’t as much conflict over these two things as there is a misunderstanding that personal well-being is reliant on collective well being. I believe organic culture reconciles that.

Written by Jesse Richardson