Is Organic a Healthier Choice?

There is a lot of Scientific study into the benefits of Organically grown food compared to food grown with conventional farming methods. Some studies indicate Organic is more nutritious while others show conventionally grown produce is. Better for us.

I am going to look at it from a logical point of view looking at several aspects. Scientific research doesn’t always look at the complete picture when research like this is undertaken. Science looks at a particular aspect, in this instance nutrition level, and does not take other factors into account.

Government bodies rely on Science to perform tests, which are used to develop food technology for the future generations. There is an unfounded fear amongst many that without Chemical technology or Genetically Modified Food products, there will not be sufficient food to feed the world population in the years to come. Scientific researchers are therefore under pressure to undertake testing and find reasons why one is more nutritious than the other. In most cases the option that stops the fear of food shortage is the winner.

Up until the turn of last century, food was produced using organic principles by default. There was no other choice. Food grew and was harvested without the need for chemicals. Pests, Weeds, and Disease were handled manually or with common organic methods used for centuries.

With today’s technology, the same principles are applied on a larger scale to feed a larger population. Manual handling is no longer required with tractors and farm machinery doing all the work. Paddocks that were once perhaps one acre in size are now multiple hectares in size.

Where farmers used to strip graze cattle and sheep in between crops, farmers now use chemicals applied with boom sprayers to kill all vegetation before planting crops. Animals are rarely found on large scale cropping farms these days. Animals would once provide nutrients to the ground in between crops through their manure, which would also encourage soil organisms to break down waste and make nutrients in the soil available to plants.

Farmers would once pull weeds out by hand that were competing with the growth of a crop or would hinder harvesting, farmers today spray chemicals over a crop that kills undergrowth without killing the crop itself (selective herbicides).

Chemicals and synthetics are used today to cut back on manual labour due to larger size farms. Synthetic Fertilisers are added for the avoidance of and extra labour associated with addition of Naturally organic matter or from strip feeding sheep or cattle in between raising crops.

It is the opinion of many passionate about the organic philosophy who feel research into the nutrition levels of food is based on what an industry expects to hear than a logical reasoning associated with the production of food.

Farms could perhaps focus on a system of operation more than a chemical or synthetic philosophy. Old practices can easily be adapted for a modern world. Just because chemicals work and synthetic fertilisers feed plants, doesn’t make them better for us by default.