Organic vs locally-grown: Part I
With numerous articles on the web that talk about what foods you should buy, do you struggle to figure out if fair-trade, certified organic, BPA free, keto friendly, sugar-free, or local farming…is better for you and the environment? Well don’t worry, you are not alone.
I always find myself overwhelmed by various controversial opinions and information about what food is best for us as well as for our planet. It is truly difficult to choose a product based on a labeling but I am here to help you clarify any specific questions you have in part one of organic farming vs. local farming…
Why buy organic?
Firstly, I will be talking about the positives of organic produce.
Compared with organic farming, conventional farming makes heavy use of agrochemicals, such as pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides in order to ward off problems that might affect yield or even kill the crops. Such problems include weeds, pests, or diseases. Conventional farming also uses synthetic fertilizers which can further destroy soil health, impact local ecosystems and communities, harm farm workers, and even affect the health of the eventual consumers.
Shockingly, a single apple grown conventionally in the USA may be sprayed 16 times with more than 30 different chemicals (1). In a nine-year study, the FDA found that 54% of American fruit contained detectable amounts of pesticides. Pesticides are terrible for the environment as they contaminate the soil, water, and vegetation surrounding their area of use. Pesticides are not only targeted at killing weeds and insects (which itself can be a problem - especially when they kill environmentally crucial insects like bees) but they also kill larger organisms, including birds, fish and rodents.
Unsurprisingly, they are also toxic to humans. The British Medical Association has found that human bodies store pesticides for a long time. This agrochemical exposure is linked to various medical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and nausea, as well as more serious health issues including neurological disorders. (2)
Since organic farmers rely on traditional, natural methods to protect their crops and to boost yield through crop rotation and composition of natural fertilizers, this reduces carbon footprint. It also means the soil is healthier and more full of nutrients, as rotation systems put nutrients back into the soil. This means there should be more vitamins and minerals in organically grown foods, which in turn, is beneficial to our overall health.
What are the drawbacks?
Although on an individual level, organic is likely the better choice for your health and maybe even for the environment, the picture is quite different at a global level.
Some studies suggest that by 2050, the global demand for food will increase by up to 98% due to the population growth (3). However, organic farming produces far lower yields when compared to conventional farming as the crops are not artificially inflated with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. As a result, organic farming not only requires much more land to meet consumer demand but is also more expensive, passing on the costly price to consumers.
Moreover, the impact of higher land use can also be damaging to the environment. Some experts say, “The total greenhouse gas impact from organic farming is higher than conventional farming” (4). Using more land for food means less territory for trees and vegetation that would otherwise be sequestering carbon.
With global demand for food increasing & limited land areas that will be available for farming, for industrialized countries to go 100% organic may not be a sustainable choice. A study in the Nature Communications journal recently found that if England and Wales were to adopt widespread organic farming practices, agricultural yields would be an enormous 40% lower. The result of this would be that greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) would actually increase. (5)
Furthermore, the organic movement has exploded in popularity since its grassroots origins in the 20th century. This means that there is now a huge amount of profit to be made within the industry. As a result, many large-scale corporations have sprung up, leading to what the agricultural industry has named ‘Big Organic’. ‘Big Organic’ farms are profit-motivated, large-scale industrial operations whose goals are profit and high output, rather than protecting the environment.
Surprisingly, organic produce is not necessarily grown locally, in fact, due to ‘Big Organic’, the opposite is often true. On average, American produce travels up to 2000 miles between farm and consumer, and this transportation creates enormous amounts of GHG. (6)
Lastly, a study at the University of Alberta found that the GHG emissions caused by food transportation actually canceled out the environmental benefits of organic growing methods. This means that overall emissions were comparable to conventionally grown produce. (7)
To conclude, organic farming has both positive and negative aspects that can impact our health and environment. As an assistant professor at the department of environmental studies at New York University says, “It is very hard to generalize across any farming systems or label conventional or organic farming as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. With all this information, there are still many more questions to be answered when deciding whether or not to buy organic, so stay tuned for more on my blog www.sophiedeats.com for part 2 of the series.
Sources
(1) https://www.reuters.com/article/food-apples-idINL2N0NF1D320140424
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18710090/
(3, 4) https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2019/10/22/organic-food-better-environment/
(5) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12622-7
(6) https://attra.ncat.org/product/food-miles-background-and-marketing/
(7) http://www.rso.ualberta.ca/news.cfm?story