Why Organic Food is Better for You & the Planet

"If you do just one thing-make one conscious choice-that can change the world, go organic. Buy organic food. Stop using chemicals and start supporting organic farmers. No other single choice you can make to improve the health of your family and the planet will have greater positive repercussions for our future." - Maria Rodale

Organic food is now becoming a popular choice the world over as people realize the health benefits it offers. This is affirmed by data that reveals that in 2018 organic farming is practiced in 186 countries and 71.5 million hectares of agricultural land is managed by 2.8 million farmers. The global sales of organic food and drinks reached more than 96 million euros. (Source: https://orgprints.org/37222/) And, this trend is only increasing. People across the globe are opting for organic food options not only for good health but also for the health of the planet.

What is organic food?

Organic food is food that is grown without using synthetic pesticides, bio-engineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers o sewage sludge-based fertilizers.

Organic livestock that is raised for meat, eggs, and dairy products is given organic feed and given access to outdoors. Organic livestock is not given antibiotics, growth hormones, or any kind of animal byproducts.

This leads us to the question, “Why organic food is better for you and the planet?"

Let us split the question into two parts and first look at why organic food options are better for us?

• Organic food is devoid of harmful chemicals.
• Organic food does not contain any preservatives and therefore is fresher.
• Pest control methods adopted in organic farming do not use spraying chemicals to kill the bugs. On the contrary, they use methods such as allowing natural predators such as lizards, frogs, etc. on the farm to kills the pests.
• Organic crops are rich in nutrients when compared with non-organic options. This is because non-organic food gets nutrients from synthetic fertilizers while organic food gets its nutrients from healthy organic soil.

Now let’s dig into why organic food is better for the planet?

• An organic plant-based diet reduces greenhouse emissions and carbon footprint.
• Organic farming practices involve less pollution, soil erosion, and energy.

• Organic farming is chemical-free farming. Therefore it is beneficial to the health of birds, animals, and even humans.
• The techniques practiced in organic farming maintain the required level of biodiversity in nature.
• Organic farming keeps toxins out of the soil, water, and air.
• Organic farming offers better conditions for working to farmers since farmers are not exposed to herbicides and pesticides
• Non-organic farming practices have led to a loss in agricultural diversity. In fact, we have lost nearly 75% of agricultural diversity in the past century. Organic farming applies crop rotation to produce large and attractive specimens.

In Conclusion

Organic farms cultivate an assorted range of food with the help of natural elements and time-tested traditions. These techniques are beneficial not only for humans but also for the planet.