The Importance Of Organic Food And The Environment

“We want natural food that's better for us and for the environment.”

Samuel Fromartz, author of Organic, Inc., once said these words to give reasons as to why the organic food industry has found its way, slowly but steadily, to infinite stardom in the United States, and will soon rise to even bigger popularity as it continues its walk of fame in other heavily-populated parts of the world, including Asia-Pacific. There are many statistics that can show anyone that the awareness of today’s society regarding agriculture, health, and global environment has been increasing rather rapidly in the last few decades. For example, the 2009 report conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), titled “The Market for Organic

The statistics in Indonesia is also rather surprising. In 2001, the Indonesian government launched the “Go Organic 2010” program to boost organic farming. In Bali, the Bali Organic Association is currently working on increasing the consumers’ awareness of the importance of eating organic food, and is lobbying for a chemical-free agriculture. These statistics definitely indicate that people all around the world are now starting to realize the importance of keeping their good health, and with it comes the popular belief that good health comes from good and natural food that is produced without harming the environment. That dawn of realization gradually leads to a booming interest in anything that claims itself to be good for the environment and of course, for people’s health, and those two interesting preferences just happen to be the

Organic food differs from conventionally-produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed. Although the standards differ worldwide, organic farming, in general, features cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed in the farming process, although certain organically approved pesticides may be used under limited conditions. Organic food is also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or synthetic food additives. Therefore, organic food is so much believed to be environment-friendly and animal-friendly, as well, because the farm animals and plants conserved in an organic food production are not to be treated with chemical antibiotics, growth hormone, anti-parasite drugs, and other chemical substances that are believed to be harmful for human bodies once those drugs get mixed up with the food that people eat and digest. However, there is actually very little evidence that can support the safety and health benefits that can be derived from organic food products. This is strongly considered to be the main reason for the ongoing controversy in Indonesia that regularly debates whether organic food industry is ready to set up a promising market that will eventually lead to a better state of the