There is a world of difference between organic and conventional farming: from the nutrient quality of the product, to the sustainability of the land, to the true long-term costs of food. According to Stephanie Wells of the Canadian Organic Trade Association, organic farming avoids the use of toxic and persistent synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, collectively known as inputs. Although it’s important to understand what organic doesn’t do, the power of organic farming lies in what it does.

How healthy is our food?
Studies reveal that food quality has declined substantially in the last 50 years of conventional farming – protein has declined 6%, iron 15%, Vitamin C 20% and riboflavin 38%. Varieties selectively bred for fast growth and high turnover in conventional farming leaves produce little time to acquire nutrients. Conversely, a 2005 review found that organic farming and food processing increased average antioxidant content in food by about 30%. And, the longer a field is managed organically, the greater the increase in antioxidants, with the greatest increase recorded after 7 years.

Part of the blame for lost nutrients goes to single crop farming, where one crop is grown on the same field for 20 years. These fields rely on chemical fertilizers because the naturally-occurring soil nutrients are depleted within a season or two. Crop rotation used in organic farming allows the soil to replenish nutrients, while fertilizing with composted matter helps to feed soil micro-organisms, allowing the plant to grow naturally.

Dag Falck, Organic Program Manager at Nature’s Path Organic, compares feeding plants synthetic fertilizers with a human consuming white sugar: fertilizers give the plant a quick rush, without long-term nourishment. He adds that while the fertilizers seem to feed the plants, they actually kill soil micro-organisms. Soil organisms play crucial roles in the ongoing health of soil and plant life: they transform nitrogen into usable plant food; acidify soil and physically destroy plant material; help bond soil particles together; improve soil structure and provide better drainage and aeration; and protect plants against pathogens that destroy roots. As a result, organically-grown produce is more nutrient-dense and healthier for us.

Health consequences of eating chemicals
A conventionally-grown apple is likely to contain at least four and as many as 14 chemical pesticides; some are known toxins and others linked to cancer. In a 2005 test of 788 milk samples, the USDA found an average 2.5 pesticides, nearly half containing developmental toxins. Foods imported from afar can even contain residues of pesticides like DDT that have been banned in North America. Because chemical inputs are derived from petroleum, they also act as endocrine disruptors, meaning they have the ability to wreak havoc with our hormones. 

Chemical pesticides are necessary with single crop fields because insects quickly locate their preferred foods, and their numbers increase yearly. Instead, rotating crops and interplanting help to keep organic farmers one step ahead of insects and other pests. Interplanting combines plants that a pest enjoys with ones it wouldn’t dare touch. It also invites natural enemies: berry bushes are often planted to attract birds that dine on bugs. 

Falck believes that farming without chemical pesticides allows a plant to function as it should to protect itself. This process is very similar to the human immune system: babies and young children experience many colds and flus because their immune systems are immature. With every overcome illness, their immune system becomes stronger, and better able to protect the body. Plants also need to flex their defensive muscles, making for healthier plants that grow hardier produce. To prove the point, Falck suggests purchasing two of the same type of apple, one organic and one conventionally grown. Leave them out and watch the decay process. While the organic fruit may show the first sign of moisture-loss with slightly wrinkled skin, it typically outlasts the conventionally-grown apple: it’s used to protecting itself.