Why Organic? It's Natures Way!

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry." ~Thomas Fuller,

Keep Chemicals Out of the Air, Water, Soil and our Bodies!

Organic Fruit

"Pesticide use raises a number of environmental concerns. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including non-target species, air, water and soil. The World Health Organization and the UN Environment Programme estimate that each year, 3 million workers in agriculture in the developing world experience severe poisoning from pesticides, about 18,000 of whom die. According to one study, as many as 25 million workers in developing countries may suffer mild pesticide poisoning yearly." Source: Wikipedia

Follow the Prince of Wales!

When Charles, The Prince of Wales, took over the Highgrove farm early in the 1986, he said he was appalled by the loss of Great Britain's wildflower meadows, the hedgerows and chalk grasslands to "agriculture-industry." The Prince decided to convert the old farm to a completely organic system to demonstrate the environmental and commercial benefits. He started the work to make the farm and gardens into organic showplaces with a hope to inspire others to preserve England's rural landscape.

Highgrove is today, not only a successful working farm, but it's a flagship for the benefits of an organic, sustainable form of agriculture in England.

We can see almost all over the world that the agriculture-industry is creating "monocultures" that lack diversity and robustness. The results are a poisoned ecosystems, contaminated food chains, empty aquifers, contaminated water sources, destroyed biodiversity and health problems.

Let's hope the Royal Wedding in England this spring will make organic products more "in". Let's hope it will be the start of a new organic and green revolution. We need a major change from unsustainable, increasingly unaffordable and petroleum-based and toxic fertilizers and pesticides, to organic regenerative farming systems that sustain and improve the health of our world population, our soil and our environment.

In 2008 only 0.6 % of USA's cropland were organically farmed.

Overall, certified organic cropland and pasture accounted for about 0.6 percent of U.S. total farmland in 2008, according to United State Department of Agriculture. I could not find numbers for 2009 or 2010

The main arguments against buying organic products are:
More expensive. Bad quality. Hard to find. How can we trust they are organic? Reports tell us organic products are no better than non-organic.

1. More Expensive!

Most organic food do cost more but not much. Higher prices are due to more expensive farming practices.

Ask yourself, what is more important than your own health, your family's health, the nature and your children's future? Make a calculation - find out how much money you spend on your house, car/petrol, sport equipment, clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, electronics, holidays, pleasure and more... Maybe you could do without some of it and use the money to invest in your own health and the environment?

2. Bad quality!

The apple test! This is a true story. I bought a green big and polished beautiful and "perfect" looking non-organic apple. I was not going to eat it; I was going to make a test. I placed it in my window sill to see how long it took before it was poor and rotted. One week passed, two weeks, several weeks and months. I can't remember exactly how many months, but it was more than half a year. Need I say more?

Is the look of the apple more important than the health effects? It is a natural process that all "live" food gets poor and bad. One major reason that it often is bad already in the shop is not because it is organic but because it often sits longer on the shelf before it's sold. I would much rather buy an organic apple with some spots on than a perfect polished apple "prepared" to be stored for months.

An apple a day!

An apple a day In the chemically grown environment will bring the doctor into play!

An organic apple a day will keep the doctor away!

Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit, after bananas, and they are also used in the second most popular juice, after oranges. But apples are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables.

3 Hard to find!

I agree that it can be hard to find organic products. I have to call the shop a day or two in beforehand to order my organic fruit and vegetables as they don't have it normally. And even then I have problems to get what I want. In some shops they don't even take orders for organic products unless you buy a whole case. But why is it hard to find? If you look for something organic and don't find it - do you ask the store personnel if they can get it for you? If we all start asking for organic products each time we go to our grocery store it will not take long before they start to bring in organic products.

4. How can we trust it is organic?

If you look for the seal that says it is certified organic you can feel safe in most cases. Of course we will find fraud and deception in this business as in all others. If you buy non-organic you can trust they are non organic. What do you have to lose? Go here to learn how Certified Organic Seals looks like.

5. Reports/studies tell us that organic products are no better than non-organic.

How can it be better to eat food produced using pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, breeding hormones, artificial colors and additives? The answer should be obvious. Do we need reports and studies to understand that?. Read the first section about pesticides once more.

And don't forget the soil. I have been growing vegetables organically for 15 years. Fill your hands with organic soil, it's alive!. Then fill your hand with soil from a conventionally monoculture - it's dead!

Why Organic? It's Natures Way!

Why organic? Because it's nature's way!

This article is a follow up on my article: Why Organic?

Happy Natural Life!

Kristin

Mona Kristin Jensen is the owner of Happy Natural Life. She wants her Website to be a place where you can find inspiration, information and Eco-friendly products to live a happier and healthier life, more in harmony with yourself and Mother Nature. Her motto is "Be yourself and be happy, never stop dreaming".

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