Farming
Why in Crisis?

Organic Farming

Organic food is enjoying growing acceptance. The retail market for organic food in Canada is increasing at a rate of approximately 15 percent each year.

What is organic food? A report by the Alberta Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development defines it as "food grown under a production system that, in addition to the avoidance of synthetic chemicals, also promotes soil health, biodiversity, low stress treatment of animals and sound environmental practices."

This, say organic farmers, stands in contrast with food production by large commercial farm operations. "With enormous farms comes a trend to vast single crops, whose high yields are produced through intensive mechanization and a plethora of man-made pesticides and fertilizers," writes Katharine Vansittart in Canadian Geographic. "In addition to the residues that such chemicals can leave in food, the nutritional content declines when produce is picked before it's ripe, a given when it must travel long distances to reach its market. To ensure that crops arrive at their destination intact, they may also be gassed, waxed or irradiated with a nuclear by-product."

Who is buying organic food? The Alberta report says that buyers "range from the health-conscious teenagers, to concerned mothers, to aging baby boomers. . . . They are no longer merely the stereotyped sixty's flower child."

However, not all people are convinced that organic food is better. Canadian Geographic observes: "The generally higher cost of organics causes skeptics to question its worth without hard science to prove its benefits. Others worry about a two-tier food system that excludes the poor." Proponents of organic food counter that changes in diet, marketing, and delivery can make organics available to everyone, regardless of their economic station. In view of the wide range of opinions and scientific data, the debate over organic food is not likely to die down anytime soon.