How Much Do We Know About Organic Veggies and Fruits?

The latest craze all over is finding and consuming organically grown produce.   Conceptually, this sounds great; Do we really understand what organic means? And do we fully understand where and how these are produced?

What do we mean by organic? Is it just no chemicals or pesticides spayed on the plants?  Or do you think that the farmer did not enrich the soil with any chemical fertilizer and just used natural compost?  And what went into that compost anyway?  Just plant-based muck or some animal dung too?  And, what were those animals fed with?

Oh, we have not even asked what kinds of seeds were used to grow the plants that produced those ‘Organic’ fruits and veggies!

Confused? You are not alone. Even many of the farmers who I have interacted with have their own views on what they consider as “organic”.

What about those resellers?  Do the people who sell us organic fruits and veggies know what they are giving us?

Many resellers do not put in the effort to understand or verify what they get and simply pass on to the produce.

So, what can we do to make sure that we know what we are paying for and eating?  Here are a few things to ponder:

• The more local the produce is, the more organic it would be.   If we are looking for those Californian zucchini’s and broccolis in Hyderabad, we must be already compromising in ways we don’t know
• Knowing our farmer may not be a bad idea.   Why not pick up a weekend to visit an organic farm with the family?
• Let’s grow our own veggies and fruits! Home & balcony gardening can be fun and rewarding too.  Many of the home garden enthusiasts will bet their life on the taste and healthiness of what they grew!
• Let’s spread knowledge and seek knowledge.  How about being a part of a local community farming project?

Any other ideas we could explore?  Feel free to post your thoughts or write to me.

Narayan K Murthy | narayan@goodseeds.in | +91 970.449.6664 | http://www.goodseeds.in