…And this is why you should go organic!

Farming practices traditionally were of the natural and organic kind, whether it were huge hectare’s of land or just a small little garden. It kept the entire ecosystem in balance. It maintained a systematic balance between the soil, insects and birds, water and air. The total ecosystem around each plant is really one living system, one organism. And the health of each of the parts impacts on the health of the whole.

The current practices of farming has direct implications on each of these parts, resulting in the once self sustaining soil being completely dependent as the organisms that made it independent have died due to chemical toxicity. Both the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has resulted in the creation of Dead Zones due to soil erosion. Dead zones are low-oxygen areas in the world’s oceans that have caused the depletion in marine life. According to a report, around 405 such dead zones exist in the world’s oceans. Some of these are as small as a sq. kilometre, but the largest dead zone covers around 70,000 sq. kilometres!

With the ‘weakening’ of soil, plants grow weak as minerals and nutrients are low hence becoming susceptible to pests. As a result, the farmer takes immediate action of spraying chemicals that not only harms the ‘bad’ guys but the ‘good’ guys too.

Around $ 64.5 billion of pesticide is used worldwide and only 0.1% reaches its intended purpose. Where do you think the remaining 99.9% is going?

These chemicals eventually reach the food chain and are doing more harm than good. The nutrient levels in the farm produce are very low as the basic plant requirements are not met.

Organic foods have up to 400% more mineral & nutrients than conventional foods.

Meet our Green Do-Gooder:

Lt Col (Retd) JS Bal, an agriculture enthusiast wrote to Ek Titli about his love for farming and we thought of sharing our green space with him.

His organic farm is a 550 yards plot, very close to the F1 track in Greater Noida where he grows veggies like Fenugreek, Lady’s Finger, Apple Gourd, Ridge Gourd, Ladyfinger, etc. To encourage friends and family to switch to organic, he shares the surplus produce from his farm with them. So if you are in that part of the world, drop by to see the greens at their fresh best.

Interested to know more and want to taste the organic veggies? Connect with him at jsbal52@gmail.com.

Author: Vaibhav Dugar
Me, I am a Green Warrior and yes you are either with me or against me!  On paper I’m a telecommunication engineer but professionally, a farmer. Work takes me setting many-a-farms, tilling many-a-lands and playing with soil which I thoroughly enjoy. I love playing football (avidly), going cycling, watching Formula 1 and writing!
If you need company to watch Formula 1, pit stop at Vaibhav.Dugar [at] EkTitli.org

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