The term “organic” refers to how agricultural products are grown, prepared, produced, or processed naturally without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers, or bioengineered genes (GMOs), any chemicals such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides, or preservatives, and without the use of additives, colouring, synthetic chemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, and hormones), radiation, or genetic manipulation.
Ever-Increasing demand
Organic foods are becoming more popular because a larger portion of the population is interested in learning about the benefits of organic farming, which is more sustainable and provides environmental protection, biodiversity, animal welfare, and food quality and safety benefits when compared to intensive conventional farming. The general public believes that organic food is healthier than conventional food, which is the primary reason for its increased demand over the last decade in many developed countries in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Better for the environment
It reduces pollution, conserves water, reduces soil erosion, increases soil fertility, rebuilds soil health, and prevents harmful chemicals from entering our water supplies, thereby promoting water conservation and health. Growing healthy flora requires healthy soil. Organic farmers do not use nonrenewable oil-based fertilisers or pesticides that we may not always have access to. Natural farming practices are far superior to chemical soil management. Organic farming produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions and is therefore beneficial to nearby birds and animals as well as people who live near farms.
system of agriculture
Organic farming does not expose nearby communities or farmworkers to potentially hazardous persistent pesticides. Natural organic fertilisers and soil amendments such as organic matter, green manures, and animal manure are used. Crops are better able to resist disease, survive drought, and tolerate insects as grown in healthy soil. Toxins may be present in organically grown food as a result of environmental contamination; however, there is evidence that organic food has higher levels of some nutrients and lower levels of toxins. Organic food is thus highly recommended in any diet, but especially for those suffering from chronic illnesses because it is good for health, more safe and nutritious.
Major impact on your mental and emotional health
Organic food has higher levels of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and micronutrients than conventionally raised food. Chemicals used in conventional agriculture, such as synthetic fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides, leave residues on the food we eat. The routine use of antibiotics or hormones in conventionally raised animals contributes to antibiotic resistance and residues that are passed on to us, causing further health problems. Foods grown without pesticides and fertilisers contain more phytochemicals (vitamins and antioxidants) that help them resist bugs and weeds. According to the findings of a 2019 dairy product study, antibiotics were detected in 60% of conventional milk samples, but not in organic milk samples. Organic produce also has higher levels of vitamin C, certain minerals, and antioxidants, according to studies.
Health risks to farmworkers
Pesticide drift exposes people to toxic and persistent chemicals, which endanger human health as well as wildlife and ecosystems. Pesticides are especially damaging to children. The study found that families eating a 100 per cent organic diet rapidly and dramatically reduced their exposure to four classes of pesticides—by an average of 60 per cent—over six days. Consuming organic foods is thus a growing trend in today’s world in order to reduce the negative health effects.
Humane treatment of animals
Organic foods enable more humane treatment of animals while also providing hormone- and antibiotic-free meat. Organic foods promote a healthier and more environmentally friendly use of natural resources. Feeding livestock animal byproducts increases the risk of mad cow disease (BSE), and antibiotic use can result in antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. Organically raised animals are typically given more space to move around and access the outdoors, which improves their health.
Avoids Contamination
Organic foods are free of GMOs, which means they were not genetically engineered in nature. Food genetic engineering is a major concern in the modern era. They are foods or plants that have had their DNA altered in ways that do not occur naturally, usually to increase resistance to pesticides/herbicides. Farmers in France and Germany dug up thousands of hectares of rapeseed fields in 2019 after traces of genetically engineered crops (GMOs) banned for cultivation, were discovered in Bayer’s seeds.
Image Credits – Pixabay
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