Friday, August 24, 2012

Organic Food - Food XXI century



The conventional farmers are concerned about obtaining products pleasing to the eye, "sellable" without analyzing the occasional harm that can bring the consumer.  

Given this stance, or biological organic food is that obtained without the use of fertilizers, pesticides or growth hormones.  

Also sold locally, thus avoiding wasting energy in transport. The organic foods must be certified by an independent body, which ensures that his production meet the requirements of the regulations. I would add that the rules are different in every country, and the Spanish legislation is less demanding than other European countries such as Germany.

Fruits and vegetables are usually conventional industrially produced in intensive monoculture where a single species grown steadily over time. This causes a huge impact on the ground, immediately depleted nutrients, and it is necessary to add large amount of fertilizer, to remove the crop yield. The manufacture of fertilizers, besides being a highly polluting activity, causes a great waste of water and energy, both for production and for transportation. 







Furthermore, these monoculture are very attractive to pests, which necessitates constant use of pesticides. Its manufacture involves the same impact as fertilizer, and add one more: the accumulation in soil and lots of food chemicals. All these substances have a negative effect on the health of consumers, as they increase the risk of allergies, intolerances and other diseases in the population.  

To these disadvantages, we must add the globalization of food production, which means that much of the food we eat has been produced many miles of the place of consumption. This also implies a significant energy investment to transport these foods, exploitation of farmers, who are paid a pittance to maintain the profitability of the process.



Moreover, these crops contribute greatly to deforestation and soil depletion which implies that land use from forests and woodlands to continue agricultural production or livestock. Faced with all these disadvantages, organic food offers a healthier alternative and sustainable. Organic farmers try to maximize the use of natural resources, organic fertilizers and use traditional methods such as crop rotation, which reduces pest pressure and the need for fertilizers, it is because some crops provide minerals to Soil naturally, and also that different species have different requirements, thus facilitating the recovery of the ground. Also, by not using chemicals, avoid pollution of soils.  

You must use land that has rested at least five years of conventional farming, period allows chemical waste disposal. Thus, certification is not granted for five years to cultivate that land without using chemicals. The seeds must be separated properly to enable the development of products with high salt absorption minerals. Planting and harvesting of seasonal products , keep pace crops in greenhouses.
  
Control pests naturally, through crop rotation, biological pest control and organic fertilizers. Use biological products for fertilization, as worm castings, guano ... In As for biological farming, working with indigenous breeds and controlled the country since its inception. Animals are raised outdoors and feed breast milk to eight months. Then, continue their diet with natural products like corn and soybeans. No use feed additives or stimulants of any kind to accelerate growth and fattening. The culling is done on an individual basis and the minimum possible suffering, to reduce toxins that stay in the meat when the animal is under stress.

With consumers increasingly demanding about their purchases and interested in healthy living, organic products are increasingly in demand. Thus, organic farming has flourished and has become a profitable business. Many cooperatives working in this field, promoting environmental stewardship and self-employment. However, we are far from other countries where organic production has installed many years in the market, and its products can be assigned to a lower price to make the product more attractive to users, because sometimes the high discourages consumer price purchase these products.

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