Would you eat an Organic Orangutan?

                                                     Image by farmsantuary.org from flickr

Today everything ‘Organic’ is a fad. I came across organic salt few days ago and was baffled by its nonsensical nature. Salt is an inorganic compound and it just cannot be produced organically using fertilizers such as cows’ manure. I support many qualities of organic items but cannot ignore how ‘conscious’ consumers overlook other aspects of a sustainable product.

Naturally, since the beginning of agriculture organic farming has been prevalent. It was only after World War II that inorganic farming gained popularity. In particular two chemicals which had been produced for warfare started being used for farming.  Ammonium nitrate used in munitions during  World War became a cheap source for nitrogen. DDT which was initially used to control disease carrying insects round the troops, developed into the insecticide used in agriculture today [1]. Although organic farming is prehistoric, Sir Albert Howards is widely considered the father of organic farming as he was the key founder of the post-industrial-revolution organic movement [2].

Yes, organic agriculture is beneficial for soil biodiversity but, when done on a large scale it becomes very similar to inorganic agriculture. Large tracts of land are cleared, crop monocultures (same strain of a crop planted) are grown and the produce is transported for long distances. With mainstreaming of organic food, big corporations like Nestle and Walmart are growing their share in this market, causing huge losses to local farmers. These companies import most raw products from developing countries where environmental laws are grossly overlooked.

Think, how ecstatic can chickens be in profit-based organic poultry farms where they live in crammed conditions and are overfed? Do organic milk yielding cows really get to graze happily in large green fields? How sustainable is it to live in Ireland and buy Chinese organic potatoes?

It is promising to see people opting for greener lifestyles but there is a need to understand our choices in entirety and not be mislead by the ’Organic’ superstar.

REFERENCES

[1] Iowa State University. http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/history.html

[2]  http://www.westonaprice.org/farming/history-organic-farming.html