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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. Back to the archive |
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