HARVESTING HEALTH : THE BOUNTIFUL BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FARMING

  

 I was watching the film Bheeshma  in Telugu , the film revolves around the topic of organic farming. It made me to think, read and write about the same .

 The British botanist Sir Albert Howard is often referred to as the father of modern organic agriculture. Howard, having worked in India as an agricultural researcher, gained much inspiration from the traditional and sustainable farming practices he encountered there and advocated for their adoption in the West.

Organic foods are grown without artificial pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides. Organic meat, eggs, and dairy products are obtained from animals that are fed natural feed and not given hormones or antibiotics. Natural foods are free of synthetic or artificial ingredients or additives.

Many farmers in the country have only vague ideas about organic farming and its advantages as against the conventional farming methods. Use of bio-fertilizers and bio pesticides requires awareness and willingness on the part of the farming community.

The most common problem with organic farming is the frequency of pest attacks, which results in an increase in crop destruction. The reason behind the high frequency of pest attacks is the enriched quality of organic produce.

Organic foods often have more beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, than their conventionally-grown counterparts and people with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives may find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods. Organic produce contains fewer pesticides.

The most commonly purchased organic foods are fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Processed organic products are also available, such as sodas, cookies, and meat substitutes. Organic foods are produced through farming practices that only use natural substances.

Prices of organic foods include not only the cost of the food production itself, but also a range of other factors that are not captured in the price of conventional food, such as: Environmental enhancement and protection (and avoidance of future expenses to mitigate pollution).

Organic items worth buying if money is no object: Asparagus, avocados, bananas, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, cereals, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, oils, onions, papaya, pasta, pineapples, potato chips, and sweet peas. Also included are packaged products such as canned vegetables and dried fruit.

Sikkim became India's first and only state to proclaim itself organically in 2016. It was not simple for Sikkim to shift to a 100 per cent organic state.

It is in the hands of the people who as consumers should support organic produce there by initiating the farmers to opt for organic framing for the betterment of them and the environment.

The film was successful in delivering the message clearly and might have inspired  a few to consider organic framing and its produce.

Do watch the film when you find time, provided the link in the beginning itself.