1. To Protect Future Generations
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. Food choices made now, determine your child's future health.
2. To Prevent Soil Erosion
Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic gardening. In conventional farming, however, the soil is used more as a medium to hold plants in a vertical position, so they can be chemically fertilized. Soil structure is neglected and the top-soil is washed or blown away.
3. To Protect Water Quality
Water makes up two-thirds of our
body mass and covers three
quarters of the planet.
Pesticides and other chemicals
widely contaminate ground water
and rivers and pollute our primary
source of drinking water.
4. To Save Energy
Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other industry. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest crops. Organic farming is still based on labor intensive practices such as hand weeding, green manure and cover crops instead of chemicals.
5. To Keep Chemicals Off Your Plate
Many pesticides and herbicides were registered long before extensive research linking them to cancer and other diseases could be established. They are
poisons designed to kill living organisms and
can also harm humans. In addition to
cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth
defects, nerve damage and genetic
manipulations.
6. To Protect Farm Workers
Farmers have a much larger risk than non-farmers of contracting cancer. Farm worker health is also a serious problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can be poorly regulated. An estimated one million people are poisoned annually by pesticides.
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7. To Help Small Farmers
Most organic farms are small, independently
owned family farms of less than 100 acres.
Many family farms have been lost this
past decade. Organic farming could be one
of the few survival tactics left for family
farms.
8. To Support a True Economy
Although organic foods might seem more
expensive than conventional foods,
conventional food prices don't reflect
hidden costs such as pesticide regulation
and testing, hazardous waste disposal and
clean up and environmental damage. If the
hidden environmental and social costs of chemically-produced conventional produce were added to that produce, it would be more than double the price of organic food.
9. To Promote Biodiversity
The conventional farmer uses monoculture, the planting of large plots of land with the same crop year after year. This approach leaves the soil lacking in natural minerals and
nutrients, which have to be
replaced by chemical fertilizers
in increasing amounts. Single
crops are also more susceptible
to pests, making farmers more
reliant on pesticides. Insects have
become genetically resistant to certain
pesticides and despite the increased uses of
chemicals, crop losses are increasing.
Organic farmers encourage natural
predators on their farms and are content
with a smaller harvest. They also practice crop rotation to add health and energy to the soil.
10. For a Better Taste
Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately, our palate. Ask the many chefs who prefer to use organic foods.
- www.dellanatura.com
Ten reasons to buy organic products:
For more detailed information about organics visit the
where organic and simple meet
