Why choose organic?

There are many reasons why people are choosing organic foods over conventionally produced fruits, vegetables and other food products. In fact in developing countries it is one of the fastest growing segments in the food industry with mainline retailers such as Safeway and Wall-Mart in the US and Wait rose in the UK and many others offering organic produce selections for their discerning customers. Organic food production and processing value now tops $30 billion/year!

We have listed a few of the more commonly held reasons for “going organic” here:

1. Organic food is not treated with any chemicals during the planting and growth of the item. Therefore, if you eat organic foods, you are not exposed to what could be a toxic cocktail of pesticides and fertilizers.
2. Fresh organic produce has more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than farmed produce. Studies show that organic food contains between 50 and 100% more minerals and 25% more fiber.
3. Choosing organic foods is the only way you can avoid eating genetically modified food.
4. Choosing organic dairy or meat products ensures that the antibiotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines fed to the animals will not be passed on into your food.
5. Organic produce often tastes so much better than farm produced vegetables and fruit. It’s full of flavor!
6. Organic farmers often protect wildlife in their areas by not using harmful pesticides or herbicides and look for ways to protect their crops without harming wildlife and the environment.
7. Conventional farming can damage workers' health as they are exposed to the toxins in the pesticides and herbicides and fertilizers.

Sustainably-grown foods and the environment

In addition to organic farming methods, sustainable agriculture is becoming more important around the world as we deplete the nutrients in over-farmed areas, endangering the ability of the soil to grow foodstuffs.

Sustainable agriculture refers to the ability of a farm to produce perpetually. An important factor is the effects of farming practices utilized on soil properties and processes essential for crop productivity. Practices that can cause damage to soil include excessive tillage leading to erosion and irrigation without good drainage leading to accumulation of salt in the soil.

A number of development and aid projects in Indonesia are working with local farmers to develop more sustainable methods of growing produce, to ensure that future generations will also be able to live off the land. These methods include natural replenishment of soil to avoid nutrient depletion. Just a few examples are :

• recycling crop waste and livestock or human manure
• growing legume crops and forages such as, peanuts that form symbioses with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia,

All of these efforts have one goal, to care for the earth by conserving the soil and water so that we can sustain and ensure the environment quality and therefore the health and well being of future generations on the earth.