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Should you go Organic?

All farming originally was organic farming. Farmers used natural pesticides and even the fertilizer was manure and compost. However after World War II and the advance of science, farmers started using a lot of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. With the advent of the twentieth century, genetically modified (GM) foods and growth hormones added more artificial things into our food. This is actually done to cut labor costs and increase the crop yield, but these chemicals are extremely harmful, they poison our bodies and the planet and wear out the topsoil in the fields.

Some farmers have opted out of the modern methods of farming; some never joined this chemical revolution. They use traditional methods like crop rotation to keep the soil fertile, use manure and natural pest control methods. The crop they obtain by these safer methods is called organic food. This is safer and more nutritious.

Food is considered organic if it is certified by U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is a major benefit of going organic. Such food is grown under strict control and monitored at every stage of farming by a responsible authority. Farmers have to meet federal regulations which state that farmers must avoid the usage of any kind of toxic pesticides and fertilizers for three whole years before the harvest. Only then will the product be classified as organic and sold as such. Organic farmers are required to have a plan that they submit to the authorities which states the procedures of farming used and the material. Crops are inspected each year to ensure that regulations are met with. Even processed food that are canned can be certified as organic if they do not use harmful additives like sulfites, nitrites and nitrates. They also have to comply with approved procedures.

Consider this, farmers are required to be vigilant and take all necessary steps to prevent seepage of fertilizers and pesticides from the adjoining farms into their soil so that their crop has no residue of chemicals. If they fail to do so, their crop may show such residue when it is tested and they are not given the “organic” certification.

We live in a polluted planet and our soil has a lot of chemical residue. Conventionally grown crops are not subjected to such vigilance. We owe it to our own health to adopt a diet which is pure and healthy. Moreover, growing organic food is much healthier for the planet. So do not ask if you should go organic. Do yourself a favor, eat organic food.
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