Organic Farming and How It Affects You

There are two benefits to farming organically: a healthier consumer and healthier, more fertile soil. Until organic foods became a mainstream commodity in many grocery stores in the 1980s, the fresh foods and vegetables most of us were raised on were sprayed with pesticides to make them larger and look more attractive to the consumer. Marketing studies showed that the consumer wanted fruits and vegetables that looked picture-perfect.

But the health-effects of DDT, Parathion, Malathion and their derivatives began to worry health officials. DDT was banned from use on crops in the U.S. but other pesticides are still being used in conventional farming. The residue from these pesticides when ingested from sprayed foods, remain in the body for a very long time and can affect the central nervous system. The offspray from pesticides also remain in the soil, and can affect the health of the farm workers who till the soil.