Organic vegetables, organic fruits, organic food products… What is the world fussing all about? Well, before I get into that, one needs a bit of history. ‘Organic Food’, a term coined by Lord Northbourne in 1939, is a holistic approach to farming. It was a recent trip to an organic farm in the middle of a desert near Abu Dhabi that got me thinking about it all. This particular farm had been created on a piece of land the Sheikh had gifted the farmer telling him to use it for the good of society. The farmer used it to make an organic farm.
Another destination closer home, is Hideout, an eco-destination near Vasai where organic produce is grown, and meals are cooked using that very produce. The functioning of the establishment also follows an eco-friendly module wherein water and electricity are used sparingly, water used for washing utensils is drained into the nearby forest to water the trees, water drained from cooking rice is used to starch sheets, food is served in leaf plates, etc.
With all this talk, I see many people wondering what organic farming is all about. Simply put, ‘organic’ means good, clean and fair: good in terms of taste, clean in terms of environmental sustainability, and fair, in terms of price and value for the people who produce it and consume it. In India, one sees organic produce being sold in high-end retail outlets at exorbitant prices. People also talk about it as if it’s new to this country. Once a well-known chef who enjoys his NRI tag more than his Indian nationality said to me, “Organic Farming is practically unheard of in India… it’s a gift from the west – a result of their deep thought and concern for health!” I had to stop myself from saying, “Is it really?” I didn’t bother, as I knew my argument would fall on deaf ears. Truth is, India has been practising organic farming for centuries – right since the time we started developing agriculture in the Harappan times. Agriculture has been one of our main activities and its principles are embedded in the way we live, our outlook upon life and health and the health of the ecosystem. However, the reason that our organic procedures are not talked of is the simple fact that they are not based on health trends… many small farmers cannot afford pesticides and those who can afford them, face a dearth of water, which is required in large amounts when using pesticides.
Recently I went to an organic farmers’ market organized “privately” at a hotel on a Sunday morning. It was nice and proper, but something seemed to escape me there… I have travelled a fair share, and some of the farmers’ markets that make it for me are the ones in the interiors of India; the tiny villages where produce comes in once a week at the weekly market. The chaos mayhem, dust, and the bargaining and cacophony of sound makes it a real farmer’ market. It gives a personal dimension to the age-old adage ‘Know your farmer, know your food’. Even in terms of pricing, it seems to follow the “fair in terms of price and value for the people who produce it and consume it” principle. Somehow the proper, so-called “cultured” atmosphere of the urban market didn’t give me the same thrill and satisfaction.
In large cities, organic produce is not only available only in high-end stores; it is also expensive leading to only a certain section of society being able to consume it. Due to the lack of volume of produce that is guaranteed organic, it is often priced between 10 percent - 60 percent higher than that for regular produce. The expense comes across as a radical change in the dimension of one’s shopping budget, if one were to shop just for organic produce. And it’s not just today that organic food has been packaged. Dr. Vijaya Venkat and Kavita Mukhi made early inroads into promoting healthy organic food in India long before it became a general craze.
With all this talk, one will wonder why the health benefits of organic food haven’t yet been discussed. Taking one’s health into account, and on the nutrition front, organic food is known to contain 50 percent more nutrients, vitamins and minerals, as against genetically modified food. Owing to lack of chemicals, the nutrients also get absorbed into the system a lot more easily leading to vibrant health. Most importantly, it prevents the onslaught of various allergies that are caused (and are currently on the rise) by Genetically Modified Foods. You can eat anything you like without having to be afraid of choking or breaking out into a rash which, I’m sure, many of you out there can relate to and would love to get rid of.
Whether in a modern upscale store or in a dusty village market, organic food reflects the agrarian principles we live by: ‘It is not simply the absence of illness, but the maintenance of physical, mental, social and ecological wellbeing that one should strive for.’
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