thoughts about organics...

It has come to my attention that I've been slacking on my postings... for that I'm sorry.  It's been quite a busy semester.

Recently, we were asked to debate the pros and cons of organic farming.  I, as it turned out, was assigned to the con-side.  At first this seemed difficult because there really are many upsides to organic farming.  For one thing, organic farming tends to be more sustainable.  Organic farming uses natural fertilizers to promote the health of the soil, uses crop rotation, and limits the use of antibiotics, hormones, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This, arguably, reduces the impact on the environment and promotes a more nutritious product.  (There are less contaminants running from the soil into the water supply, contaminating other crops, and getting into the actual product).

Read more about organic farming.

However, as I found in my research, many organic practices have hidden costs.  It is more expensive for the farmer, consumer, and can negatively impact the environment.  Organic produce is, on average, 20% more than conventional produce (and can be up to 50% more).  With 48% of the population living on $2 a day, and about 13% living below the poverty line- does it make sense for everyone to buy organic?  There is an argument that organic produce is more nutritious than conventional; therefore, you are actually getting more for the increased price in terms of vitamins/minerals. However, there are studies that prove this, and studies that say that both products are equally nutritious.  I don't know what the answer really is!  But, sustainability and access to food is an important issue that is sometimes overlooked.  If food is too expensive, can we really ask/hope people buy it- even if it is "healthier"?

Another interesting argument made was that organic farming can only work in the context of conventional farming.  Because organic agriculture uses less pest control (and the chemicals they use are not as effective), the farms are breeding grounds for insects and pests, which may lead lead to outbreaks.  This doesn't happen, currently, because the organic farms are small and far away from each other.  The conventional farms can maintain all pests to a minimum level.  However, the theory is that there is a threshold level (amount of organic farms) that if the organic farms cross, the conventional farms could no longer control the pests.  This would lead to a massive uncontrolled outbreak and epidemic, and we would see massive crop devastation to both sides of the aisle.  You can think of it like the herd mentality of vaccinations- not every person must get a vaccine, but the majority need to in order to keep the diseases and outbreaks low.

So, this brings me to my point.  Organic farming is great; however, there are some drawbacks.  Local, small farms tend to be a happy medium of organic and conventional in that they use sustainable crop techniques and minimally processed pest control chemicals.  Most of the local farms cannot afford to go organic (there is an extremely high transition cost in addition to added costs of seed, fertilizer, labor, etc.), but maintain practices parallel.  This is an interesting story of why this local farm isn't organic.  Further, with local produce, you get the added energy savings from transportation (you are saving on the oil to ship it across the country or internationally- which often occurs with organic produce).

So, in my opinion, I would rather by the local apple from upstate NY at the Union Square market for $0.65 than the organic apple at Whole Foods that was shipped from New Zealand for $0.95.  What about you?

Tip:

• Make sure to WASH all your produce- fruits and vegetables from both conventional and organic farms
• Look to see where you can get local things, and read up on the farm practices.  You may find things that surprise you.
• Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh ones- sometimes even fresher as they are picked at their peak of ripeness and quickly frozen.  Keep this option in mind when comparing what to buy!

Selected Sources:

• ”2011 World Population Data Sheet." Population Reference Bureau. USAID, July 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.   
• Ald, S., D. Iron and T. Kolokolnikov. “A Threshold Rea Ratio of Organic to Conventional Agriculture Causes Recurrent Pathogen Outbreaks in Organic Agriculture.” Science of the Total Environment. 25 November, 2010. Web 21 March 2011  
•  McBride, William D., and Catherine Greene. “Characteristics, Costs, and Issues for Organic Dairy Farming.” United States Department of Agriculture.” Nov. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2012 http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/err82/err82.pdf