ORGANIC FOODS
When there is inability to meet out the demand for food in India during post-independence our agriculture system had been the matter of concern, in order to feed the growing population we have stepped out from traditional farming and induced the modern agriculture method which was followed in western developed nation. There we have started to induce slow poison to our system.
The present conventional farming system have brought many disorders and side effects which we are facing right now and further we have to make pull stop to it by adopting to the ORGANIC FARMING METHODS.
The practice of organic farming, said to the best known alternative to the conventional method, also originated in the west, which suffered from the ill effects of chemical agriculture. However, organic farming is based on the similar principles underlying our traditional agriculture. Organic agriculture aims at the human welfare without any harm to the environment which is the foundation of human life itself.
UNDERSTANDING ORGANIC FARMING
Organic farming system in India is not new and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly pollution free environment
THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIC FARMING INCLUDE
1. Maintaining fertility of Soil by inducing organic matter and soil biological activity with careful mechanical intervention
2. Providing nutrition to the crop with the help of soil micro organisms
3. Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention
4.The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing
Impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats
Anything without altering or affecting the nature of the system is called organic and the food derived from the above system is termed as Organic Foods
HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE ORGANIC VS NON ORGANIC FOODS
TASTE
Organic food taste better than non-organic foods, concentration of the food is not altered. Immediately we cannot differentiate the originality of taste, but with continuous consumption we can easily differentiate
LOOK
All that glitters are not gold, organic food doesn’t look attractive in some cases but almost impossible to determine by the looks of a produce whether its organic or not, only by taste it can be determined
SIZE
The size of a vegetable/fruit depends on multiple factors including the exact variety of the plant, the kind of soil and the season of harvest. Say, if the soil is very fertile (Ex. Forest soil) it may yield large sized vegetables or fruits even via organic agriculture. Infact farms which have been following organic methods for more than a decade or so, tend to have very fertile soil and therefore the produce from these farms may in fact be quite large in size.
SEASON
There are certain vegetables/fruits which are highly seasonal in specific geographies. For example, Cauliflower / Broccoli / Spinach (keerai) do not usually grow well in rainy seasons here. If a crop is not in season that just means that nature is not conducive for that crop to grow. So if a farmer manages to get a yield from these crops it indicates that he / she must have done something special! This usually means an overdose of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Hence, even if one is not too keen to buy from an organic store, he/she is well advised not to consume produce which is not in season.
Now days we can find lot of stores in the name of organic, but be sure to check the nativity of the product before buying, as there might be chance of utilizing it for the profit due to unawareness on the knowledge of Organic Food.
0 comments: