Читать книгу Prevent and Defeat Cancer Naturally - E. R. (Ron) Harder NHC - Страница 8

Now that I have painted a very bleak picture of our food supply, let me say that there is a small bit of light at the end of that long dark tunnel. What I am referring to is going back to the way our ancestors grew their gardens one hundred years ago, and that is growing our food organically.

Organic food does not refer to a special type of food, but to the way in which food is grown and processed. Food is generally considered “organic” if it is produced using only natural additives, with no chemicals added.

Organic food production refers to a system of farming that maintains and replenishes the fertility of the soil. Organic foods are produced without the use of toxic pesticides or industrial waste products. Organic foods are processed to maintain the integrity of the food without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation.

The whole idea behind organic farming is to stay in tune with nature. This means building up and maintaining the cycle of life that is meant to be in our soil. It means putting natural nutrients back into the soil. It means keeping the soil alive and healthy.

Some of the objectives of organic food production are as follows:

a) To replenish and maintain long term fertility by providing optimal conditions for soil biological activity.

b) To produce viable quantities of high quality nutritious food and feed.

c) To encourage “closed cycle” farming systems using local resources and recycled nutrients.

d) To enhance ecological cycles within the food production system.

e) To maintain genetic diversity of the agricultural system and its surroundings, including protection of plants and wildlife habitat.

f) To sustain the land in a healthy condition for the enjoyment and use of future generations.

One group out of New York is working on a certification program that would seek complete compliance with the following standards.

a) Soils to be ecologically managed to conserve and recycle humus and nutrients by regular soil tests, crop rotation, cover crops, manures and composts. Naturally occurring organic matter, mineral and microbial fertilizers, not chemically fortified, may be used. Except for certain regulated substances, all synthetic fertilizers are prohibited.

b) Seeds and seedlings shall be, whenever possible, organically grown.

c) Weed control is to be by cropping practices such as timely planting and cultivation, cover crops, crop rotation, proper fertilizations and mulches. All chemical herbicides are prohibited.

d) Insect control to be provided by a healthy soil and farm ecosystem. Insect control must not harm the soil or farm ecosystem, or leave harmful residues. Approved methods include natural predators and parasites, mechanical removal, biological and botanical insecticides, attractants and traps. All synthetic insecticides and irradiation, a process that exposes food to radioactive material in order to kill bacteria, are prohibited.

e) Diseases are less of a problem when seeds and plants are selected for organic purity and grown in well-balanced fertile soil. Outbreaks to be treated by appropriate cultural practices, and natural non-toxic methods.

f) Harvest and storage shall minimize insects and rodents without synthetic fumigants, insecticides, preservatives, irradiation or prohibited substances.

g) Processing and packaging to be without any synthetic substances such as artificial flavors, artificial colors, preservatives, antibiotics, and irradiation.

The above objectives and standards give us a very good description of what organic farming is intended to be. As you can see, it is all about producing our food in such a manner as to stay in harmony with nature.

Organic farming has come a long way in North America. Sales of organic food is now in the many billions of dollars a year and doing well, and the market is enjoying a growth rate of 10% a year.

As with everything else in a free market economy, supply and demand determines the success of any venture, and organic farming is no different. If we want this industry to grow and provide healthy food for ourselves and for our family, it is up to us to support it. We can do our part by supporting our local organic farmer, and eating only those food products that we know to be organic, or as close to organic as possible.

You may think that organic food costs more, but that is not really the case. Prices of organic food reflect many of the same costs as conventional food in terms of growing, harvesting, transportation, and storage.

However, organically produced foods must meet stricter regulations governing all these steps, and so the process is often more labor and management intensive. Also, organic farming tends to be on a smaller scale. All these combined may increase the cost slightly.

Here is one other point to consider. If all the indirect costs of conventional food production, not associated with organic food production, were taken into account, organic food production costs would be the same as, or more likely, less than the cost of conventional production.

Conventional food production costs should include the cleanup of polluted water, replacement of eroded soils, the cost of health care for farmers and their workers, and the cost of restoring fish habitat etc.

As you can see, there are groups of concerned citizens who are working very hard to get the quality of our food supply back to the standards we once enjoyed. We have to realize that our commercially grown food supply is in bad shape, and that it will be up to us to change it.

One group that is working hard on the problem of food quality is the Organic Farmers Marketing Association (OFMA). They are involved in a battle to keep the big corporate agriculture corporations out of the organic food business, a situation that would seriously dilute the standards of organic farming.

They can be reached on their web site at www.iquest.net/ofma. It is up to everyone to support the organic farming organizations in their fight for their right to produce healthy nutritious food.

In this chapter we discussed the quality of our food supply, and how it got that way. In a later chapter we will look in detail at how the quality of our food affects our health, and what we can do to help this situation.