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Some important facts about organic farming |
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Consumer demand for organically grown foods and livestock products are increasing. Sales of organic products are the fastest growing sector of agriculture. Sales continue to grow by over 20% annually and have shown an annual increase of at least 20% during the last 6 years.
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Over the next 10 years analysts are projecting total sales of organic products to exceed one hundred billion dollars worldwide. |
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Large corporations are positioning their products and services to cater to the organic consumer. |
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Thousand of corporations are targeting consumers worldwide by adding organic foods to their product lines. |
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Organic farming can actually save farmers money and give them significantly better returns on land and resource utilization as compared to conventional farming. Conventional farming uses more petroleum than any other industry and consumes more energy supply. |
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It can take up to five years for a conventional farm to convert to organic farming. |
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It's estimated that conventional farmers use over 300 different pesticides to grow (non-organic) foods which are sold in virtually all supermarkets worldwide. |
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The organic industry has recently seen phenomenal growth. The sales of all organic foods have grown by 20-25 percent each year in the last decade, and reached $7 billion in 2000. Organic sales will grow to $20 billion in 2005. |
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| Farmers Rediscover Organic Farming in India |
Every year thousands of Indian farmers are rejecting modern agricultural methods to revert to nature's own way of growing grain and horticulture produce. Whether it is natural farming, organic or biodynamic farming, a more advanced form of organic farming, the shift is perceptible.
In Maharashtra alone over 200,000 farmers have turned to organic farming. And so have many in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Orissa and Ladakh are other places where farmers have taken up organic farming.
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Pesticides you could find in your food (and water) |
The twin controversies in 2003 regarding pesticide content in bottled drinking water and aerated beverages in India hardly came as a surprise to many working with the environment and in farming. The pesticide problem is compounded in India because many pesticides banned abroad are manufactured / dumped and sold freely here. Pesticides are not bio-degradable, are highly toxic and find their way into ground water and water bodies, contaminating them and rendering them unfit for drinking purposes. Pesticides got into the water supply in the first place only because of the agriculture system which uses them. These are some of the pesticides you can find in the food you eat. The list is not, unfortunately, exhaustive.
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Food product |
Contaminant pesticides |
Apples |
Diphenylamine, Captan, Endosulfan, Phosmet, Azinphos-methyl |
Bananas |
Diazinon, Thiabendazone, Carbaryl |
Bell Peppers |
Methamidophos, Chlorpyrifos, Dimethoate, Acephate, Endosulfan |
Broccoli |
DCPA, Methamidophos, Demeton, Dimethoate, Parathion |
Cabbage |
Methamidophos, Dimethoate, Fenvalerate, Permethrin, BHC |
Cantaloupes |
Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Chlorothalonil, Dimethoate, Methyl Parathion |
Carrots |
DDT, Trifluralin, Parathion, Diazinon, Dieldrin |
Cauliflower |
Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Dimethoate, Chlorothalonil, Diazion |
Celery |
Dicloran, Chlorothalonil, Endosulfan, Acephate, Methamidophos |
Cherries |
Parathion, Malathion, Captan, Dicloran, Diazinon |
Corn |
Sulfallate, Carbaryl, Chlorpyrifos, Dieldrin, Lindane |
Cucumbers |
Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Dieldrin, Chlorpyrifos, Dimethoate |
Grapefruit |
Thiabendazole, Ethion, Methidathion, Chlorobenzilate, Carbaryl |
Grapes |
Captan, Dimethoate, Dicloran, Carbaryl, Iprodione |
Green Beans |
Dimethoate, Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Acephate, Chlorothalonil |
Lettuce |
Mevinphos, Endosulfan, Permethrin, Dimethoate, Methomyl |
Onions |
DCPA, DDT, Ethion, Diazinon, Malathion |
Oranges |
Methidathion, Chlorpyrifos, Ethion, Parathin, Carbary |
Peaches |
Dicloran, Captan, Parathion, Carbaryl, Endosulfan |
Pears |
Azinphos-methyl, Cyhexatin, Phosmet, Endosulfan, Ethion |
Potatoes |
DDT, Chlorpropham, Dieldrin, Aldicarb, Chlordane |
Spinach |
Endosuslfan, DDT, Methomyl, Methamidophos, Dimethoate |
Strawberries |
Captan, Vinclozolin, Endosulfan, Methamidophos, Methyl Parathion |
Sweet Potatoes |
Dicloran, DDT, Phosmet, Dieldrin, BHC |
Tomatoes |
Methamidophos, Chlorpyrifos, Chlorothalonilo, Permethrin, Dimethoate |
Watermelon |
Methamidophos, Chlorothalonil, Dimethoate, Carbaryl, Captan |
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