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In-Depth Information
3
EFFECT ON EARTH
require producers to obtain special certification in
order to market food as organic within their bor-
ders. In the context of these regulations, organic
food is food produced in a way that complies with
organic standards set by national governments and
international organizations. Some of the benefits
related with Organic foods are:-
(a) Free of Genetic Modification like genetic
structure had not been engineered to withstand
these chemical substances.
(b) Organic farming returns nourishment to the
soil, which in turn creates better conditions for
crops to thrive during droughts.
(c) Organic food is grown without chemical ferti-
lizers or pesticides, which can be leached from
the soil and end up in water supplies.
(d) Organic produce growers have paved the way
with innovative research that has created ways
to reduce our dependence on pesticides and
chemical fertilizers
(e) Organic farmers have been collecting and pre-
serving seeds for Increases Biodiversity as well
as reintroducing rare or unusual varieties of
fruits and vegetables
(f) Its Protects Family Farms and Rural
Communities
(g) Fresher, Better Tasting, There's no argument
that fresh food tastes better. Organic food
often is fresher because is more perishable and
has a shorter shelf life.
(h) Sustainable Seafood organic markets allow us
to purchase seafood that is still abundant and
fished or farmed in environmentally friendly
ways.
These are some benefits of organic food which
help us to free from so many diseases like obesity,
and heavy weight.
The slogan that countries need to grow more food
has already affected mother Earth to the point of
over-exploitation. Growing more food means kill-
ing the soil by using more and more fertilizers and
pesticides. What happens in the future if the soil
is unable to regenerate itself and produce food
for the hungry millions? Studies show that 75 per
cent of our water resources are used in intensive
agriculture. The rest is polluted by chemicals. The
present paradigm is bound to collapse unless we
reverse the current process of exploitative agricul-
ture. Petrini feels that we all need to take a hard
look at the whole framework of agriculture. He
exhorts everyone to give due respect to farmers
and for governments and policy makers to stop
talking down but to listen to the farmers voices for
a change. After all, it is the farmer who actually
knows how hard it is to produce crops under the
present regime.
The underlying philosophy of the Slow Food
Movement is respect for the biodiversity of peo-
ple, of farming practices and crops. What has hap-
pened in the world today is that only the robust,
genetically modified species of crops have a chance
to survive even if they are not necessarily good
for human consumption and have a whole range
of adverse effects on the human system. But the
loss of such small and weak species also means the
loss of precious genetic resources. Today, nearly 70
percent of genetic resources of fruits and vegeta-
bles are already lost. This makes the earth poorer.
Meantime we are putting more and more pressure
on the earth by making it productive more food.
The introduction of exotic species of crops and fish
has resulted in the disappearance of indigenous
varieties which used to feed the local population.
Today, even the lakes are no longer owned by the
community but by governments and multination-
als and they are used to produce a single species
which is supplied to the rich nations of the world.
5 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
It is evident now that the younger generation no
longer recognizes the herbs and vegetables that
their parents grew up with. The tribes are known
to be able to identify edible forest fruits and leaves,
all of which had medicinal qualities. Today, with
the forests being rapidly depleted, these indigenous
species of medicinal plants and vegetables are no
longer seen in the local markets. How many kids
today would enjoy the dhekia sakh (fern), the lai-
patta (mustard leaf) or the pui-sakh (a sort of spin-
ach cooked with fish)? And there are many more
leaves that are eaten in our daily diets that we have
slowly forgotten about. Support for the inferen-
tial arguments can be found in the many studies
showing that consumers generalize health claims
inappropriately (Balasubramanian & Cole, 2002;
4
BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOOD
Organic foods are foods that are produced using
methods of organic farming. That does not involve
modern input such as pesticides and chemical fer-
tilizers. Organic foods are also not processed using
irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food
additives. The organic farming movement arose
in the 1940s in response to the industrialization
of agriculture known as the Green Revolution.
Organic food production is a heavily regulated
industry, distinct from private gardening. Cur-
rently, the European Union, the United States,
Canada, Japan, India and many other countries
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