Food Culture

By: Mallory L, Molly S, & Brooke W

Main Question: What makes organic food so healthy?

Sub Questions: How does conventional farming compared to organic farming effect the environment?

                       What do organic farmers do differently to grow their crops?

                       Why is organic food so expensive?

Thesis: It is important to eat organic foods because they contain more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and taste better than regular farmed food.

     Introduction: Everyone always says that organic food is way more healthy, why? It is free from insecticides, pesticides, growth hormones, anitibiotics, fertilisers.  Also a  whole host of other toxic artificial additives, flavorings, colorings, and preservatives. Organic farming is much cleaner and has better sanitation than conventional farming. We researched online and also looked over some surveys that were taken by high school students. We feel that organic food is important and that more people should eat it because it is healthier for our growing youth and the planet. The United States of America is the fattest country in the world and it is possible that we could bring that number down if more Americans go organic.  It is important to eat organic foods because they contain vitamins, minerals, enezmes and taste better than regular farmed food.

     Why organic food is way more expensive than other foods? "The main reason that intensively farmed foods are cheaper to buy in the shops is that you are paying for them in your taxes. Agro­chemical agriculture is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer through the government, whereas organic farming receives no subsidies at all" (Ysanne Spevack). Farmers use natural fertalizers like clovers to keep the soil fresh and full of nutrients. Crop rotation also makes the crop have better quality. They put woodchips or straw over the soil to prevent weeds instead of spraying the crops too. "Many agricultural products can be produced in an organic way. Meat, dairy products and eggs come from animals that are fed organically and can graze outdoors. They live in conditions that are natural to them. Cows, for example, are kept in pastures and fields. Vegetables and fruit are also produced with organic methods." (English Online). By this evidence organic food is worth the extra cost.

     There is always someone trying to "help" the enviornment, but farmers are the ones who should really change their ways. "Conventional farming, with its heavy use of manufactured fertilizers and pesticides, has a greater negative effect on the environment. In comparison, organic farming produces healthy crops while maintaining the quality of the soil and surrounding environment." (JRank). Conventional farming uses lots of heavy machinery which destroys the soil and decreases the amount of nutrients that are naturally produced. Organic farmers on the other hand use natural fertalizer and make sure the plants they are growing get the attention they need to grow properly. Conventional farmers generally keep their livestock extremly crowded and make them live in horrible conditions. They also feed them incorrectly. When organic farmer's animals are sick they use antibotics. Many people would agree that organic farming is better for the enviornment.

    This pie chart is explaining the importance of organic labels to families. Some families think its very important to eat organic foods, others think its sometimes important or even don't use them. This pie chart is very important because it shows many different pieces of information that lots of people don't know. This information is from a survey that 128 high school freshmen students took. 

    Conclusion: In the end, when everyone purchases conventional foods, customers acutally pay three times. They pay for convetional foods when they buy the food, when they pay taxes, and when they need to clean the environment. The smarter choice turns out to be buying organic food because it's better for everybody and it is actually cheaper in the long run. Many grocery stores make it seem like organic food is so expensive but actually, the better choice is buying the organic food instead of the conventional food.

Works Cited

George Kuepper, and Lance Gegner. "Organic Crop Production Overview." ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. 2004. Web. 09 Mar. 2011. <http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organiccrop.html>.

JRank. "Organic Farming - Humans, Body, Used, Water, Process, Plants, Form, Energy, Methods, Animals, Air, Effects, Cause, Plant, Surface, Soil Fertility, Managing Pests." Science Clarified. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://www.scienceclarified.com/Oi-Ph/Organic-Farming.html>.

Rosmanitz, Klaus. "About Me - English Online." Articles in Easy, Understandable English for ESL Learners. Web. 29 Mar. 2011.

http://www.english-online.at/about-me.htm.

Spevack, Ysanna. "Why Is Organic Food More Expensive, and When Will It Change? « OrganicFoodee.com." OrganicFoodee.com: Your Organic Food and Organic Lifestyle Magazine. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.organicfoodee.com/sense/tooexpensive/>.