| Coming right up is all the information you need to know | | | | use. The result, affecting us till date, was that |
| all about the Organic food and why people around the | | | | conventionally grown food came tainted with chemical |
| world are grabbing organic products despite its cost. | | | | residues that were harmful to everyone involved: |
| Organic food, in simple terms, is food that is produced | | | | humans, livestock and the environment. |
| without using synthetic chemical additives like | | | | The period between 1950 -1970 saw a gradual rise in |
| pesticides, herbicides and artificial ingredients such as | | | | agricultural scientists, farmers and environmentalists like |
| colorings, flavorings, sweeteners etc. The produce is | | | | Rachel Carson voicing their dissent to the |
| grown under strict adherence to a set of principles and | | | | industrialization of agriculture and the resultant |
| standards concerning such issues as pesticides, | | | | ecological dangers. This is the time that witnessed the |
| additives, animal welfare and sustainability. Unlike our | | | | gradual yet sure ascent of the organic movement. |
| traditional farmer, a farmer producing organic products | | | | Having gathered momentum over the years, the |
| nurtures his soil using natural manures and uses crop | | | | organic movement today finds world wide acceptance |
| rotation, tillage, hand weeding and mulches to control | | | | and has seen a tremendous growth of 20% every |
| weeds. Even organic livestock are reared naturally | | | | year. This popularity has also seen multinational food |
| without being fed antibiotics, given artificial inseminations | | | | companies staking their claim in this booming market. |
| or being genetically modified. | | | | Its growing popularity the world over has resulted in |
| The emergence rather re-emergence of organic | | | | organic food growth getting legally regulated. The US, |
| farming might be routed to the harmful consequences | | | | the UK, the European Union, Japan, India and many |
| of industrial farming that began post World War II. | | | | other countries require producers to obtain organic |
| Technological advances during World War II spurred | | | | certification in order to market food as organic. The |
| on innovations such as large-scale irrigation, fertilization, | | | | need for a certification may be attributed to assure |
| and the use of pesticides. Ammonium nitrate, earlier | | | | quality and prevent fraud. For organic producers, |
| used in munitions, became an abundantly cheap source | | | | certification identifies suppliers of products approved |
| of nitrogen. DDT, developed by the military to control | | | | for use in certified operations. For consumers, "certified |
| disease-carrying insects among troops, was applied to | | | | organic" serves as a product assurance. |
| crops, thus launching the era of widespread pesticide | | | | |