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Here is something to think about:

Do you stop to think of where your food is coming from?  If you think about it, one of the most influential things in our lives is food.  We need healthy food to be healthy people.  Now is the time to give thanks for organic food; foods that nourish our bodies as well as the planet which we live in.

Did you know that the world’s farmers now provide 24 percent more food per person on average than in 1961. Do we need that 24% more food per person? Do we even eat it or does it go to waste on the grocery store shelves?

The world population in 1961 was approximately 3 billion, As of November 2008, the world's population is estimated to be about 6.7 billion. So we have more than doubled the population yet farmers are still producing 24% more food per person.

Where does all of this extra food go? Wasted in the grocery stores due to expiration dates? Why?  Because the food has to travel such long distances that it is practically outdated by the time it hits the shelves.

And people are still hungry?  Yes, because most of this food is distributed in the developed world to go to waste on our shelves and over-fill our stomachs.

So what can we do?  Respect your food. Understand where your food comes from, grow some thing of your own and purchase from local organic farmers.

One of the biggest debates when we discuss organic foods is that growing organic could not feed the world.  Facts show that organic food is the only way to feed the world.

Biotechnology companies who create genetically modified foods claim that the only way we can feed the world in the future will be with engineered crops.  This is fantastic marketing.  The “we” in “we can feed the world” being the companies themselves who are manufacturing the crops.

So if organic food can feed the world, why are scientists creating GMO’s?  Put simply, because you can’t “own” nature.  No person or company can patent a plant.  However they can place a patent on the science used to create a GM plant and therefore “own” that plant.  It’s simply about control and, you guessed it, money.

According to several field trial and studies, organic farming is able to produce high yield of foods without synthetic pesticides and in a manor that protects our environment including our water quality and soil quality, among other things.

While writing this, I came across a fantastic piece explaining this in more detail, so check out this article written by Christos Vasilikiotis, Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley: Can organic farming “feed the world”?

The average yields of organic and non-organic produce are about the same in commercial settings, grown in the developed world.  However, in the developing world; where most food is needed, the yield ratios of organic compared to conventional range from about 1.6 to 4.0.

Check out this information: Scientists find organic farming can feed the world and more.

There is plenty of current information to support the fact that organic farming is the only way to protect our future.  Organic farming will give us a cleaner environment and offer nutritious foods as well as support smaller local farmers, keeping money in the pockets of those who need it rather than big corporations creating a biotechnology that we obviously do not need.

 It is time to put to rest the debate about whether or not organic agriculture can feed the world and start supporting our health, our environment and our small farmers by purchasing certified organic foods.

Buying organic don’t cost more.  What is the cost of our sustainability?  What is the cost of good quality, vitamin-rich foods?  Buying organic is your donation to this world you live in.

Get to know your food, appreciate what nature has provided, be less wasteful, support organics and feel good inside.

XO

xploreorganics.webs.com