The real benefits of organic produce

The FSA reckon that organic food is no better nutritionally than conventional food products. Personally, I reckon they’re probably right – in fact conventional food may actually contain higher amounts of essential carcinogens from all those wonderful chemical inputs that get sprayed onto the crops. We all need our daily dose of cancer, after all.

To focus on the health benefits though does kind of miss the point though. There are far more compelling reasons to eat organic food than a slightly reduced risk of bowel cancer (though obviously that would be nice). The advantages of organic farming lie elsewhere - organic farming is far better for the environment, while organic farmers have a far more secure livelihood in times of economic depression.

Commercial farming is one of the leading causes of soil, air and water pollution. A portion of this pollution is formed from animal waste, which is common to both organic and industrial farming methods. But another major component is that which results from chemical pesticides, fertilisers, hormones and other industrial treatments.

Organic farming is not entirely free of these treatments (though biodynamic farming, and extreme form of organic agriculture, is) but the exposure of the environment to potentially harmful chemicals is much reduced.

For farmers an even more convincing argument is that organic farming can make sound economic sense. Organic farmers are better protected against fluctuations in the market than those which rely on chemical inputs precisely because they don’t have to spend money on those products.

Conventional farmers are slaves to chemical inputs; they need to make a certain amount every year just so they can afford to buy fertiliser and pesticides for the one following. They often have to take corporate contracts as a measure of security, which places power firmly in the arms of supermarkets and international food production companies rather than the farmer himself.

Organic farmers, while not entirely self-sufficient, have much reduced costs. This means they are better able to ride out fluctuations in the market and don’t need to put their future in the hands of corporate buyers who in some cases can use their purchasing power to force prices artificially low.

The life of an organic farmer is hardly idyllic and there are a number of risks involved as well – not least the potentially increased risk of disease among cattle. But the global recession has meant that an increasing number of farmers have started to see the attraction of going organic. In France last year, the number of organic farmers grew by 20%, compared to 2.5% in each of the previous 8 years. The reason? They’re sick of getting 20p for a gallon of milk that costs 40p to produce.

The French government have been helping them make the switch as well, handing out tax credits as a carrot to encourage the change. French farmers are voting with their feet and there appears to be the makings of a new organic revolution there.

So who cares whether organic food is actually better for you? You should buy it anyway. Because buying organic food helps to protect both the environment and give some power back to the farmers – the latter of which has to be a good thing, given the mess that the money men and politicians have made of things in recent years.