Why go organic? Well, there are the usual fears of genetically modified foodstuff eventually leading to a gross mutation of the human species, where we’ll all be sporting an extra finger on each hand, and possibly foaming at the mouth – it’s no laughing matter, we assure you. And you won’t be laughing when the zombie apocalypse comes! Then there are some very concrete reasons – some of which have already begun rearing their ugly heads and some of which have convinced us that organic produce rocks.
To avoid pesticides
Here’s a good place to start. There are over 350 pesticides routinely used in conventional farming, and these leave residues in food which eventually accumulate in fatty tissue because we are consuming the toxins faster than our bodies can get rid of them, so that it all ends up being stored in your fat deposits. And the results? From weakening the immune system and messing with your hormones to causing weight gain and infertility – the health risks being associated with pesticide residue are too grim for us to get into in detail. That’s what Google is for.
To prevent bad farming practices
Inorganic fertilizer features high up on this list, and so does a lack of crop rotation. This is where farmers grow a different type of crop in the same soil every year, which replenishes the soil. Without crop rotation, and when inorganic fertilizers are overused, the soil becomes exhausted and depleted of its nutrients. And of course this comes back to bite us in the behind. Crops that are grown in depleted soil lack the nutrients we need, and a lack of nutrient intake can eventually lead to chronic health conditions. It’s why most of us today are trying to remedy the fact with multivitamins.
It’s eco-friendly
Organic farms produce less carbon dioxide because they use careful ecological management to solve pest problems. This ultimately reduces their energy consumption, which we hear can be up to 70 per cent less than that of industrial farms. They also cause less pollution as they don’t use chemical pesticide sprays. Factory farms on the other hand mostly use non-renewable fossil fuel for food production, processing and transportation – because it’s cheaper – while smaller-scale organic farms don’t need to. They also contaminate soil and groundwater with heavy pesticides.
It’s animal-friendly
Organic farm animals are healthy, happy farm animals. They’re not fed antibiotics or artificial drugs like bovine human growth hormone, which make them big and fat so that we can get more meat. Instead, they’re raised naturally on organic feed and get to go outdoors to graze. In comparison, industrial farms are inhumane. They treat animals like commodities and could be feeding them the cause for the next mad cow disease.
It’s nutritious and tastes better
You know when you go through all that effort to peel an orange only to get watery, flavourless fruit you want to throw away (but feel guilty about)? We have force-growing to thank for that – it’s where food is grown in artificial conditions and pumped with fertilisers so that it survives out of season, or in climates it wouldn’t usually grow. With organic, this doesn’t happen. It looks and tastes better because it’s unmodified, natural food that’s grown and raised when and how nature intended.
Now you’re convinced, and you want to get down to the grocery store straight away and start looking for organic stickers; well, here’s how it can get even more fun. If you fancy getting your fruit and vegetables as fresh as possible at a local market, here’s your answer: Ripe source organic fruit and vegetables at local farms near Abu Dhabi, Liwa and Al Ain, and bring them to us in lovingly prepared brown boxes of varying sizes. Well, not literally. They bring the boxes to the Ripe farmer’s market at Khalifa Park Desert Garden Centre, where you can get them. But watch this space, because soon you’ll be able to order boxes online, and have them delivered straight to your kitchen. Launched earlier in November, the first Ripe market was a huge success with boxes selling out faster than anticipated. The market also features food stalls for fresh locally produced goodies, so go check it out.
Ripe’s Food and Craft Market is on every Friday, at the Desert Garden Centre in Khalifa Park from 9.30am-1pm. For more information on Ripe, go to www.ripeme.com.
