What is organic agriculture?
As the country slowly starts to open up, it is interesting to note that Covid-19 is raising consumer awareness about the relationship between nutrition and health which is driving interest in products from the "health halo" including, vegetables, fruit, processed food etc. Experts predict that "the organic market is set to surpass £2.5bn sales mark by the end of 2020, achieving more than 50% growth in a decade" (Source: Ecovia Intelligence report).
However, there are some myths about organic food that we aim to address in this pos:
ORGANIC FOOD MYTHS
They are extremely expensive.
It is for trendy people or the upper class.
Organic is only good for kids.
Organic is only good for cosmetics.
Organics are the same as conventional items, simply with a fancy organic label attached.
Here are some facts that may the address these misconceptions:
DAABON BELIEVES ORGANIC IS THE WAY FORWARD:
Organic agriculture, is an alternative system originated to improve farming practices that strives for sustainability, the enhancement of soil and biological diversity avoiding the use of pesticides, fertilisers and other agro-chemical fertility.
Organic farms tended to be less polluting for a given area of land
The soil quality was generally better than soil on conventional farms
There is greater biodiversity on organic farms
Source (Reserach from Oxford Univeristy)
What does the principal methods of organic farming include?
- Crop rotation
- Green manure and compost (no chemicals or artificial fertilisers)
- Mechanical cultivation
- Biological pest control (no chemicals or artificial pesticides)
How organic farmers manage pest control?
The most common problems that farmers face are pests which includes insects, weeds and diseases.
1. Growers rely crop rotation or mixed cropping to divert insects from attacking the crop.
2. Diseases are controlled by using other live organisms, for instance farmers will use insects, fungus, or complementary crops to coexist and to control each other, allowing the creation of a more balanced ecosystem;
4. Natural chemical control: allows the use of naturally occurring substances such as pyrethrin and rotenone to control pests.
Why the price difference between organic and conventional?
Organic growers spend a lot more time on their crops than conventional growers. The Organic Farming Research Foundation notes that: "The organic price tag more closely reflects the true cost of growing the food [including] substituting labour and intensive management for chemicals, growing, harvesting, transportation, and storage." In addition to that farmers have to expend substantial amount of money to become certified and being able to claim their organic status.
At DAABON we have the knowledge of crop and pest management in organic farming. We have designed and implemented best practices to track our activities on field and to keep our soil healthy. Our farms are regulated by an inspection, certification and labelling scheme.
