Support Organic

Organic products are becoming increasingly popular. In 1980, the organic food market in the United States was $178 million, but by 2003 it had grown to $10 billion, and it is estimated to be $23 billion for 2008. Organic food is clearly becoming very popular and with good reason. But many people still seem to think of organic as a fad for the excessively health-conscious or the wealthy, not something for the everyman.

In fact, for virtually the entire 10,000 year history of human agriculture, farming methods have been "organic." Modern industrial agriculture (i.e. "non-organic" farming, relying on synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides) is a product primarily of the 20th century. Organic food--meaning food that does not contain synthetic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics--is what all food was before industrial agriculture. So probably it's more accurate for us to think of industrial agriculture as the fad.

While all food was "organic" prior to industrial agriculture, the organic movement--and use of the term "organic"--began in the early 20th century, in response to the new methods and philosophy of industrial agriculture.

Around the time of World War I, advances made by German scientists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch led to the development of synthetic fertilizers. Then in the 1940's and 1950's, chemicals developed for World War II were converted into synthetic pesticides. These synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides allowed farmers to increase yields and profits. They also changed the structure of agriculture, favoring large-scale "monocropping" to small-scale, crop-rotating family farming. During the second half of the 20th century, industrial agriculture became the norm in the United States and other industrialized countries.

As this was happening, some looked on and didn't think it was such a good thing. Perhaps these synthetic chemicals should not be mixed into the human food supply or put into the soil. Perhaps treating the farming process like a machine or a factory was not in harmony with the principles of life and ecology. Perhaps these new farming techniques produced short-term gains at the cost of long-term health, for both humans and the planet.

Such concerns led to the emergence of the organic movement, emphasizing sustainable farming that is in harmony with nature. Organic farming creates soil fertility by rotating crops and applying manure and plant compost. Organic farming keeps away pests by attracting insects that prey on the pests and by growing plant strains that are well-adjusted to local conditions. Organic farming seeks to exist in harmony with native plants and animals. Organic farming is above all sustainable, creating an environment that is healthy and balanced--for humans, animals and the planet--and will continue to be so indefinitely.

In the United States, fruits and vegetables labeled "Organic" must: have been produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers or synthetic pesticides; not be genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Animal products, such as meat, dairy and eggs, labeled "Organic" must come from animals who: were given only organic food; were not given growth hormones; were not fed antibiotics; had access to the outdoors; and were not genetically modified organisms.

For more information about the requirements for organic products, check out this FAQ from the Organic Trade Association. And for more information about the organic movement, check out this page from Sustainable Table.

There are many great reasons to support the organic movement and to buy organic products. In the next post, we'll look at one of those reasons more closely.