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Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Why I choose organic food?

I started to plant my own crops since July 2016 [1]. That time, I start small by planting durable herbs. Such as Sabah snake grass (daun belalai gajah), Cuban oregano (pokok bangun-bangun), papaya and sweet potatoes (normal yellow colour). All because I want to have organic food. Which means I would like to use compost fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer and organic pesticide for pest control instead of chemical pesticide.
Since I also have cats at home, more reason for me to grow organic crops. As I will occasionally let them out for stretching and if I used chemical pesticide, might be fatal on them. Since my cats loves to munch and lick on the grass and my grown plants at home.
Therefore, I normally clean up the weeds at home using scythe or just pluck them off. Regardless it is a lots of work and tedious, I have to do so for the safety of my cats and me. 
By doing organic planting, I am able to eat the plucked herbs leaves directly after washing them off from dirt without even worries about chemical pesticide at all. That is the best part of doing organic planting. No need to wait for the pesticide to decompose/degradation [2] before harvesting session.
Even my yard full of grasshopper. Where I do leave few lizards stay in my yard since they do help to control the population of pest in my yard such as grasshopper, fruit fly and etc.

Effect on animals
Many kinds of animals are harmed by pesticides, leading many countries to regulate pesticide usage through Biodiversity Action Plans.

 Animals including humans may be poisoned by pesticide residues that remain on food, for example when wild animals enter sprayed fields or nearby areas shortly after spraying.[27]

 Pesticides can eliminate some animals' essential food sources, causing the animals to relocate, change their diet or starve. Residues can travel up the food chain; for example, birds can be harmed when they eat insects and worms that have consumed pesticides.[23] Earthworms digest organic matter and increase nutrient content in the top layer of soil. They protect human health by ingesting decomposing litter and serving as bioindicators of soil activity. Pesticides have had harmful effects on growth and reproduction on earthworms.[52] Some pesticides can bioaccumulate, or build up to toxic levels in the bodies of organisms that consume them over time, a phenomenon that impacts species high on the food chain especially hard.[23]
From Wikipedia [3]

Price comparison between organic and non-organic foods [4]:
Able to see clearly the price of organic product at least 16% much more expensive than non-organic product

Some information that I have found regarding organic food as I have put below. Where I highlight parts that I think important.

What does ‘organic’ actually mean and what’s the difference between organic and non-organic fruit, vegetables and animal products?

Organic – a definition 
The Department for Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) states that:

‘Organic food is the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides; growth regulators and livestock feed additives. Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products produced from or by GMOs are generally prohibited by organic legislation. 

Organic agriculture is a systems approach to production that is working towards environmentally, socially and economically sustainable production. Instead, the agricultural systems rely on crop rotation, animal and plant manures, some hand weeding and biological pest control’.


**Taken from DEFRA - Crown Copyright [5]

There are other reasons, besides nutrition, that people choose organic food - such as taste, to avoid pesticides and a concern for the environment. The organic movement does promote better soil and it stands to reason that in the long run, organic farming is better for overall soil quality. Let’s not forget the most important factor in your diet, as far as fruit and vegetables are concerned, is to eat as much and as wide a variety as possible [5].

Pesticides and Chemical Additives: One point that the study also made was that organic foods are much less likely to contain pesticides (consuming organics reduces risk of consuming pesticides by 30%) although both conventional and organic foods were shown to have pesticide traces well below USDA limits. It's also worth noting that organic doesn't equal "pesticide free," it means their use is restricted or limited to an allowed list. The Atlantic notes: "In the Stanford study, just 7 percent of organic foods were found to have traces of pesticides, compared to 38 percent of conventionally-farmed produce. Again, that doesn't mean organic foods will supercharge your health — you'll just be at less risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances, for whatever that's worth to you. Quantifying that benefit is a contentious area and certainly worthy of more research." It's also worth noting that because organic foods are grown without harsh herbicides and pesticides, it means the farmers and pickers who bring you those foods don't have to work in an environment full of them either [6].

Pesticide residue. Compared with conventionally grown produce, organically grown produce has lower detectable levels of pesticide residue. Organic produce may have residue because of pesticides approved for organic farming or because of airborne pesticides from conventional farms. The difference in health outcomes is unclear because of safety regulations for maximum levels of residue allowed on conventional produce [7].

For me personally, I do find that when I plant my own crops I am able to to use organic fertilizer and organic pesticide. Regardless it is much hassle, but totally worth all the effort. Plus, me and my cats do feel much better in health. Where my cat do love to eat my organic papaya very much. Can see how he gobble up 3 slices of papaya in one go [8].

Till then, have fun in planting your own crops at home😍

References:
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