The Organic Ethos:
"We do not inherit the
earth; we borrow it from our children." - Indian proverb.
It's a marathon (as any football
manager will tell you), not a sprint. The farming world today finds itself ahead
at the 1500 metre mark, but is rapidly running out of breath.
"Conventional" farming is the short-term, sprint-finish solution: plenty of uniform
produce and easily available. You know what you're getting and you know you can
get it cheap. But at what cost? Ceaseless use of fields (says the theory) drastically
reduces the level of nutrients in the soil, which leads to more use of chemical
fertilisers, which in turn further diminishes the nutrients - not to mention the
harmful effects on the surrounding environment.
Organic farming, on the other hand, has a less short-sighted view. The aims are
long-term, and in harmony with the environment. Crops are grown according to their
natural season, and with natural fertilisers. The soil, according to Langridge
Organic Growers' Bernard Govier, is alive. "There are worms, microbes, bacteria..."
Hang on... surely they're bad things? Not at all. Instead of treating such things
as pests, organic farming sees them as a helping hand, often ridding crops of
other, more damaging nuisances. "It's all part of the cycle to ensure better fertilisation
of the land." In talking of cycles, Bernard touches upon one of the key elements
of organics: crop rotation. This is centuries-old technology, apparently forgotten
by conventional farmers: when a field is tired, you should let it rest. Often,
fallow fields are planted with grass ley which enriches the soil again.
The viewpoint is a holistic one: the farm is not just about the crop, but about
the soil, the wildlife and the people. As with Eastern philosophy, it is the balance
that matters. By working in harmony with the environment, farmers can keep the
fields alive effectively forever.
And of course, organic farming has no worries about the post-race drugs test...
Related Links:
The Soil Association's Briefing Paper on the principles and aims of organic farming.
Detailed and accessible.
The Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Association details the organic premise and explains why consumers
should care when the different approaches yield practically identical produce.
Organic Gardening
magazine examines the philosophy as well as the practicalities of gardening
organically. Excellent resource for, um, organic gardening.
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