Why Organic?

“An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the USA is taken up in the production and supply of food.”

This is a quote from a startling press release from 2008. When you think about the above fact, and compare it to the “good old days” of walking out into your garden to pick your own vegetables and fruit for dinner, you can see that we have come a long way. But have we merely gone backwards, rather than forwards?

Large scale agriculture damages soil, infests the environment and wildlife with extremely dangerous chemicals, poses a health risk to people due to the pesticides and other chemicals used, clears large expanses of natural wildlife habitat – the list goes on.

Organic farming and gardening is not only about saving energy throughout the entire process of production to harvest to delivery – it is also about your health, and the health of the environment.

Organic carrots

More and more people are wanting to get back to the roots of healthy food – no chemical pesticides, no additives, no monoculture, no GM crops and no corporations controlling what you feed your family.

You don’t need a massive acreage to benefit from organic gardening. A small backyard plot can supply a large percentage of your dietary needs.

Even if you don’t live 100% your own produce, taking a reduction of even 20% of what you would normally buy from the supermarket can have a dramatic effect on your health, your budget and your environmental footprint.

The best way to sum up why you should consider organic gardening and farming is expressed in a quote that I tracked down at organicgardener.com:
“Working in harmony with the natural environment is a fundamental part of organic gardening… By growing your own organic fruit, herbs vegetables etc you can guarantee your food is as healthy as it can be.”

For further reading on this topic, check out the articles that I have referred to here. In particular:

Healthier Diet And Return To Traditional Farming Could Halve Energy Consumption In US Food System

UN biofuel warning, call for return to traditional farming

Carrots photo courtesy of flickr user stevendepolo