Organic food

From RationalWiki

Organic foods, generally speaking, are crops which have been produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as genetic modification and certain preservation techniques such as irradiation; the term also encompasses meat and other animal products (milk, cheese, honey) which have been produced without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farming was pioneered by alternative medicine promoter Jerome Rodale (ne Cohen) in the early part of the 20th century based on the idea that synthetic fertilizers and pesticides damaged the flavor and nutritive value of foods, and has become big business as consumers seek to reduce the environmental impact of food consumption and eliminate food safety issues such as pesticide persistence in food ingredients.

Governments usually set standards along these lines which must be adhered to in order for food to be legally sold as "organic." However, the scientific definition of an "organic" compound is any which contains carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds, which applies to the overwhelming majority of carbon compounds as well as pretty much everything and anything of biological origin. In some countries, the regulatory role is taken on by non-governmental agencies. The Soil Association performs such a function in the UK^[1]

[edit] Methods and benefits

Studies have found that organic farming can, if properly implemented, have environmental benefits over conventional farming.^{[citation needed]} Sustainability, i.e. the ability to leave the soil and growing environment fertile enough to grow more crops without major chemical or other intervention, is a major goal of many organic farmers; avoiding pesticides is another major issue, since many pesticides are also toxic to humans and other animal life. Common methods used to achieve these goals include:

• Crop rotation: the replanting of fields with different crops between seasons to repair damage done by a crop in the previous season; for example, swapping maize (a very soil-damaging crop requiring massive intervention by the farmer) with legumes such as soybeans or alfalfa (which live in symbiosis with "nitrogen-fixing" bacteria that can convert inert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms in the soil).
• Composting and "Natural" fertilizers: Instead of using inorganic salts and substances such as anhydrous ammonia, organic agriculture prefers fertilizers such as compost, manure, fermented fish guts (similar to the old New England native American practice of burying dead fish under maize plantings) and "green manure" (i.e. cover crops as mentioned above, plowed into the soil to decay and provide organic matter for the next growing season).
• Integrated pest management: a "defense in depth" method of dealing with pests, where blanket pesticide use is replaced with intercropping (planting of less-valuable, more-attractive barrier crops between plots of more valuable crops to attract pests), predators such as ladybugs and lacewings, pest traps, and more precisely targeted applications of biodegradable pesticides.
• Companion planting: Placing plants with common care needs in close proximity. The iconic "Three Sisters" combination used by North American Indians to raise beans, squash, and corn is one famous example; the beans use the corn stalk as support, while the crawling squash plant provides a sort of mulch effect to protect the area from weeds. From there, entire books have been written on the subject.

Organically-raised meats are usually taken only from animals fed only plant matter (thus preventing the transmission of prion diseases and other illnesses carried in livestock feed containing animal by-products) and generally raised in less-stressful surroundings than the factory farms commonly used by meat producers.

[edit] Drawbacks

Part of the biggest issue with organic agriculture is that it cannot usually measure up in productivity to "Green Revolution" techniques of intensive agriculture. Organic food does sometimes taste better due to less emphasis on things such as fruit size and yield over quality; however, this is often at the cost of higher risk of insect damage and other cosmetic blemishes.

Organic fertilizers and pesticides are often assumed to be safe by benefit of being "natural"; while this is sometimes true, natural pesticides such as rotenone and hellebore are often drastically more toxic than commonly used synthetics, and many such substances simply aren't as well-tested as their synthetic equivalents.

While organic agriculture has definite benefits to both the producer and the consumer, it is generally sold with vague, unsubstantiated claims that organic food is "safer," "healthier," or "more natural," leading organic food to become a fad diet and a form of nature woo. A more extreme form is biodynamic agriculture, which is broadly similar in its application to organic agriculture, but is based on the writings of Rudolf Steiner and his Anthroposophy religion, an offshoot of Theosophy; this particular species of woo (popular in the wine industry for some reason) is highly ritualistic, including aspects of homeopathy and possibly feng shui in its required techniques.

Organic food is not necessarily any healthier or more nutritious than conventional food; indeed, a huge market exists for prepared organic foods that aren't drastically different from their conventional equivalents, and certainly aren't inherently a whole lot healthier for you just because they're certified organic (though they do tend to use no preservatives and less saturated fat).

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ according to Wikipedia

• Organic food on Wikipedia
• Gillman, Jeff, The Truth about Organic Gardening. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0881928624. Written by a horticulture professor at the University of Minnesota, this book is guardedly pro-organic, but warns the reader not to assume that "natural" means safe.

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