Organic food and farming

by Chris Woodford. Last updated: August 26, 2011.

Have you noticed the organic section in your local grocery store? If you've never bought organic, you might be wondering what's so special about it. Is it really better for you? And what's the deal with organic clothes? How does that work? If you've confused about exactly what "organic" means, what the benefits are, and whether it's worth paying the extra, you've come to the right place. In this handy guide, we'll give you a short introduction to the subject and then lots of links so you can explore the issue in more detail.

Photo: A box of freshly delivered organic vegetables from Riverford in Devon, England. Many organic growers deliver directly by the box, cutting out stores entirely and building powerful long-term relationships with customers. Putting everything together in one box also helps to reduce packaging—and the box can be reused to save waste.

What does "organic" actually mean?

Organic food is produced without the use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides (insect and bug killers) and many people buy it because they think it's better for their health. Whether that's true or not is still debated, but there are lots of other reasons for going organic. Intensive agriculture gives us cheap and plentiful food, but it's also one of the biggest sources of environmental pollution. According to a 1999 report by the World Resources Institute, half of all the commercial fertilizer ever produced has been applied since 1984. Fertilizers—and the much more deadly pesticides and herbicides (weed killers) used with them—ultimately find their way into rivers and seas. Sometimes they break down harmlessly, but they're just as likely to build up and bioaccumulate in creatures that eat them (including humans). Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is one way to help reduce the problem.

Photo: Good enough to show in an art gallery? This organic cabbage was grown by the Riverford Organic cooperative in Devon.

What's so good about organic clothes?

You don't eat clothes, so where's the benefit there? Consider where the cotton comes from and how it's grown. Cotton is the world's favorite—and most polluting—fiber. Much of it is grown in developing countries using labor practices many of us would find shocking in the 21st century. It's not uncommon to find young children working 8-12 hours a day in the cotton fields when they should be in school. In 2007, a report in the Hindustan Times suggested there were 400,000 ("four lakh") children working in Indian cotton fields, with over half of them below the age of 14. Whether they're children or adults, cotton workers have to wander through the fields spraying their crops with pesticides; about $7 billion worth of pesticides (much of it highly toxic) is sprayed on cotton each year. Buying organic clothes (especially ones labeled fair trade) helps farmers in developing countries who have chosen not to use pesticides.

Why do organic things cost more?

Many people find it puzzling that organic products are more expensive. After all, you're doing away with expensive chemicals... so shouldn't it be cheaper? Organic is typically a much smaller scale and more labor-intensive way of farming and that's why it costs more. As a responsible consumer, it's up to you to decide where to put your money. Are you happy to buy more of products that may have been grown in a harmful and irresponsible way? Are you willing to pay more (or, potentially, get less for your money) buying organic products that may help to protect the environment and the workers who produce them?

Links for further research

• Cool stuff for schools: Introductions for kids and teachers
• Pesticides, herbicides, toxics, and other chemicals
• Fertilizers and impacts on water
• Groundwater and drinking water impacts
• Health issues
• Mothers and children
• News, articles, and journalism
• Critics
• Useful reports
• Government and official organizations
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and campaign groups
• Organic certification
• Organic farming
• Organic gardening
• Organic cotton and clothes
• Organic restaurants, cafes, and eating places
• Organic box schemes, organic food shops, and organic produce
• Local produce
• Genetically Modified (GM)/transgenic foods
• History of the organic movement

Cool stuff for schools: Introductions for kids and teachers

• CBBC Newsround: Organic food: a simple introduction for younger children.
• Organic food: article in Wikipedia. Includes some discussion of organic controversies.
• Introduction to organics: from Organic Farmers and Growers
• 
• 10 Reasons to Be Organic: A quick introduction from the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York.
• Organic food 101: A comprehensive introduction for beginners
• BBC Bloom: Organic Food: A clear introduction to organic issues.
• How organic food works: From Howstuffworks website.
• CNN News: In Depth Organic Food: The Organic Explainer
• FAQ on organic foods
• Organic is Worth it: Lots of background, articles, and links.
• Open Directory Project: Organic Food: Directory of sites.
• Grocery Store Wars: An amusing animated site.
• Organic recipes: from Seeds of Change.
• Organic Authority: An online organic magazine with lots of interesting articles.

Pesticides, herbicides, toxics, and other chemicals

• Learn the Issues: Pesticides, Chemicals and Toxics: Education pages from the EPA.
• The pesticides in our food: A briefing from Friends of the Earth UK (155K PDF file) from Autumn 2004.
• Pesticide: Introductory article from Wikipedia.
• Herbicide: Introductory article from Wikipedia.
• Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD): UK government regulatory agency.
• Pesticides Action Network (PAN)-UK: Explains just what's so bad about pesticides.
• Endocrine disrupting pesticides: Another briefing from Friends of the Earth UK.
• Pesticides, Metals, Chemical Contaminants & Natural Toxins: Comprehensive and definitive reports and factsheets from the US Government Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Pesticides: Environmental impacts from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Pesticide bingo: An educational game from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Agricultural pesticides: More from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Avoiding pesky produce pesticides: Includes a list of the most and least contaminated produce.
• RSPB: Impact of Pesticides: What effect do pesticides have on our birds?
• Regulating Pesticides in Food: The Delaney Paradox (1987): A book published by the Board of Agriculture.
• Pesticides and Water Quality: A basic introduction by the BASIN project, City of Boulder.
• Pesticide residues in food and drinking water: human exposure and risks: A book edited by: Denis Hamilton and Stephen Crossley. Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Fertilizers and impacts on water

• United Nations GEO-2000: Chapter Two: The State of the Environment - Global issues - Nitrogen loading
• US EPA Gulf of Mexico Program: Nutrient Enrichment
• The phosphate fertilizer industry - overview: An overview from Fluoride Action Network
• Control of water pollution from agriculture: a detailed paper from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
• Preventing pollution problems from lawn and garden fertilizers

Groundwater and drinking water impacts

• Drinking Water Contaminants: Information from the EPA.
• Pesticides in drinking water: STATEMENT OF CAROL M. BROWNER, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY .
• Pouring It On: Nitrate Contamination of Drinking Water: From Environmental Working Group. A short summary and a link to a longer report.
• Science Fair Project Ideas and Topics for studying drinking water: Interesting ways to study fertilizer pollution.
• Distribution of Major Herbicides in Ground Water of the United States: A US Geological Survey report.
• Pesticide Residues in Drinking Water: A basic introduction.
• Weed Killers by the Glass: Health Effects of Herbicides: From the Environment Working Group.
• Pesticides and groundwater: A Guide for the Pesticide User: From Cornell University.
• Pesticides in Ground Water: U.S Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-244-95. This report summarizes a comprehensive analysis of existing information on national and regional patterns of pesticides in the atmosphere and major influences on their sources and transport.
• UK Groundwater statistics: Groundwater quality measurements from the UK government.

Health issues

• Links between chemicals and health: From the Dr Greene medical site.
• Are organic foods really healthier for you?: by Walter J. Crinnion. Published in Organic Gardening Almanac, 1995.
• Organic food 'proven' healthier: by Alex Kirby, BBC News, 3 Jan, 2000.
• Is Organic Food Better for You?: by Pamela Donegan
• Weed Killers by the Glass: Health Effects of Herbicides: From the Environment Working Group.

Mothers and children

• Into the mouths of babes: A briefing from Friends of the Earth UK.
• Why organic is the healthiest choice for kids: More from the Dr Greene medical site.
• How to Make Your Own Organic Baby Food: Tip from Healthy Child.
• Sandra Steingraber: Organic manifesto of a biologist mother: Interesting views from writer, biologist and campaigner.
• Tony Blair calls for healthy organic foods in schools: UK news article from 2005.

News, articles, and journalism

• Food: articles on food and farming from journalist George Monbiot's website.
• Supermarkets: articles on supermarket power from journalist George Monbiot's website.
• Organic food and health: the evidence: by Shane Heaton
• Low Sperm Counts Blamed on Pesticides in U.S. Water: by Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News, April 27, 2005.
• Hermaphrodite Frogs Caused By Popular Weed Killer?: By Bijal P. Trivedi, National Geographic Today, April 16, 2002.
• Low Sperm Count, Quality in Rural Areas Tied to Herbicides, Pesticides: Following an earlier study that found that men in rural mid-Missouri had lower sperm counts and quality than their peers in urban centers, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has identified and linked three agricultural chemicals to the problem.
• Selected news articles
• Can the planet feed us?: by Alex Kirby, BBC News. An interesting background article about the pressure food production is putting on the planet.
• In praise of the organic environment: by Marion Nestle, World Economic Forum, 2005. [PDF file]
• British organic food sales soar: BBC News, Dec 2005.
• Schools urged to use organic food: BBC News, Sep 2005.
• Farms lagging on organic food: BBC News, Feb 2005.
• Organic food imports are down: BBC News, April 2004.
• Fairtrade mark for UK organic food: BBC News, Jan 2003.
• Organic farming a realistic choice: by Alex Kirby, BBC News, 30 May, 2002.
• San Diego Sushi Tuna Found High in Mercury: Interesting report from Got Mercury (a project of the Turtle Island Restoration Network).
• Introduction of National Organic Standards in the USA: A 2002 news.

Critics

• Uprooting the organic claims by Simon Cox, BBC News, April 26, 2007: "Sales of organic produce are booming on the back of alleged benefits to our health and the environment, as well as claims of higher standards of animal welfare. But are we being seduced by "feel good" claims that don't stand up to scientific scrutiny?"
• The costly fraud that is organic food by Dick Taverne, The Guardian, May 6, 2004: "Organic farming is a billion-pound industry... Its main contribution will be to sustain poverty and malnutrition."
• The Truth About Organic Foods: A highly critical book by Alex Avery, with a companion website.
• A Nasty Campaign Against Organic Food: Donella Meadows, The Global Citizen, March 9, 2000.
• The risky nature of organics: Growing Produce In Manure Raises Concerns: By John Berlau, Investor's Business Daily, March 3, 1999.
• Consumers swallow organic food claims: A 2005 article from China Daily. Chinese consumers are warned to beware of fake organic food, thought to represent 10 per cent of all green food in Beijing.
• Organics Under Fire: The U.S. Debate Continues: by Ronnie Cummins: "Industrial agriculture is coordinating a slander campaign against their number one threat - organic agriculture."
• Arguing for and against organic foods. Try these two companion articles from the UK's Independent newspaper:
• The great organic myths: Why organic foods are an indulgence the world can't afford by Rob Johnston, argues against the indulgence of organic foods.
• The great organic myths rebutted: by Peter Melchett of the Soil Association. Lord Melchett responds to Rob Johnston's article.

Useful reports

• Do you know what you're eating?: An analysis by the Consumer's Union of U.S. Government data on pesticide residues in foods 1999. (300K or so PDF file)
• Washington State University (WSU) Organics page: Lots of scientific publications and reports and useful organic links.
• CPRE foods publications: Downloadable briefing papers and reports.
• FoE Real Foods briefings and reports: Lots of helpful background material from Friends of the Earth UK.
• Pesticide Contamination of Farm Water Supplies: Recommendations on Avoidance, Cleanup and Responsibilities: A factsheet offering advice to farmers from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
• Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?: by DG Hole, AJ Perkins et al, Biological Conservation, 122 (2005), 133-130. A scholarly article looks closely at the benefits. [PDF]
• The global Market for organic Food & drink: A 2003 report from Organic Monitor.
• Statistics
• UK organic food statistics: from the University of Aberystwyth.
• World organic food statistics: from the Organic Trade Association.

Government and official organizations

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program
• UK: Organic farming: An introduction from the UK government's Business Link.
• Ireland: Organic farming : Info from the Irish Department of Agriculture
• EU: European Union organic farming pages: What's the policy on organic agriculture in Europe?
• Canada: Canada's Organic Industry: Fact sheet from Canadian Agri-Food Trade Service
• Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD): UK government regulatory agency.
• European Commission pesticides information

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and campaign groups

• Soil Association: The UK's leading environmental charity promoting sustainable, organic farming and championing human health.
• Friends of the Earth UK: Campaign for Real Food: Campaigning for organics and locally produced food and against genetically modified (GM) foods.
• Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides: Campaign group in the US.
• Organic Consumers Association: For the labeling of genetically engineered, biotech, GMO, and Novel food. Also encourages organic food and pesticide reduction.
• Organic Trade Association: An on-line resource for consumers interested in organic food and textiles. It contains recipes, articles, activities for children, and inspiration.
• Pesticides Action Network (PAN)-UK: Explains just what's so bad about pesticides.
• Why Organic?: A more consumer oriented website from the UK Soil Association: "You may have seen the label 'organic' on food when you are shopping, heard that it's good for you (and are not quite sure why), maybe thought it costs more pennies and asked "is it worth it". This website, brought to you by the Soil Association, tells you why."

Organic certification

• UK Soil Association
• US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program
• Ecocert (Canadian certification body for sustainable development)
• Introduction to organic certification: for farmers and growers

Organic farming

• Open Directory Project: Organic farming: Lots of links.
• History of organic farming: An introduction from Wikipedia.
• Farms lagging on organic food: BBC News, Feb 2005.
• Organic farming a realistic choice: by Alex Kirby, BBC News, 30 May, 2002.
• Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?: by DG Hole, AJ Perkins et al, Biological Conservation, 122 (2005), 133-130. A scholarly article looks closely at the benefits. [PDF]
• Bats boom on organic farms, study says: A 2005 news report from National Geographic News.
• RSPB Organic farming: How organic farming benefits birds and other wildlife.
• Organic Centre Wales: Advice for farmers who want to go organic.
• National and international approaches:
• UK: Organic farming: An introduction from the UK Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Get real about food and farming: Friends of the Earth's vision for the future of farming in the UK .
• Ireland: Organic farming : An introduction from the Irish Department of Agriculture
• EU: European Union organic farming pages: What's the policy on organic agriculture in Europe?
• Canada: Canada's Organic Industry: Fact sheet from Canadian Agri-Food Trade Service

Organic gardening

• Garden Organic: The working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association in the UK. A nicely designed, very colorful website!
• Organic gardening: Organic growing explained simply by Organic It's Worth It.
• Open Directory Project: Organic gardening links: A human-compiled directory of links.
• It's our garden: A Homeowner's Guide To Organic Growing BY Elizabeth and Crow Miller. An interesting personal view.
• Monthly gardening tips: From the Pesticides Action Network (PAN).
• Preventing pollution problems from lawn and garden fertilizers
• Gardening for Life: Green gardening advice from Woking Borough Council, UK.

Organic cotton and clothes

Did you know it takes about a third of a pound of chemicals to make one cotton T-shirt?

• Organic cotton: A great backgrounder from Organic Consumers.
• Free the Planet Organic Cotton Guide: You may need to register to download this (PDF file).
• Cotton: resources and briefings about cotton, pesticides, and the case for organic cotton from the Pestcides Action Network (PAN).
• Benign urine: New Internationalist looks at the benefits of organic cotton for farmers in developing countries.
• People Tree: Organic, fair-trade clothing.
• Surfers Against Sewage: A great range of cool, surfy, mainly organic clothing helps to fund this environmental group.

Organic restaurants, cafes, and eating places

• Organic restaurants and cafes: A general UK directory.
• London organic restaurants: A brief guide.

Organic box schemes, organic food shops, and organic produce

• World
• Open Directory Project: Organic Food: a directory of worldwide organic food outlets.
• Links Organic: International directory of organic businesses.
• Natural Food Network
• UK
• Where to buy organic food in London: a handy directory.
• Riverford Organics: A Devon organic farm with a distribution network in the South of England.
• Sheepdrove Organic Farm: Berkshire farm raising and selling organic meat.
• People Tree: Organic, fair-trade clothing.
• Surfers Against Sewage: A great range of cool, surfy, mainly organic clothing helps to fund this environmental group.
• USA
• Natural food in the USA: Organic and other natural products.

Local produce

• Local foods: Why local foods are important. Policy papers and briefings from CPRE.
• Local food greener than organic: article from BBC News: Local food is often better for the environment than organic food.
• Local or organic?: Friends of the Earth give advice on which is best.

Genetically Modified (GM)/transgenic foods

• Harvest of Fear: A balanced look at both sides of the GM argument from PBS.
• Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology: Many reports on GM and related biotechnology issues.
• Organics Under Fire: The U.S. Debate Continues: The battle between organic and GM foods.
• GM crops and food: A briefing from Friends of the Earth UK (PDF file).
• Council for Biotechnology Information: The case for GM foods.
• Greenpeace GM campaign: GM Campaign materials from Greenpeace International.
• Transgenic crops. Intro and resource guider: A great set of resources from the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University.
• Engineered Rice Cut Pesticides, Illnesses, Study Says: A 2005 news report from National Geographic News.

History of the organic movement

• Organic movement: This outline timeline from Wikipedia sets out the broad history of organic food.
• History of organic farming: An introduction from Wikipedia.

Further Reading

On this website

• Climate change and global warming
• Environment
• Recycling
• Water pollution

Books

Food

• The Organic Food Handbook by Ken Roseboro. ReadHowYouWant.com, 2009.
• The Organic Food Shopper's Guide by Jeff Cox. John Wiley and Sons, 2008.

Gardening

• Organic Gardening for the 21st Century by John Fedor and Bob Sherman. Frances Lincoln, 2001.
• Organic Gardening Basics by Bob Flowerdew. Octopus, 2008.
• The Organic Gardening Bible by Bob Flowerdew. Taylor Trade, 2005.