Honors English
Katie Marqusee
Period
May 14, 2010
When one thinks of the term ‘organic’, we think of it as meaning that something is
derived from living matter unpolluted by human produced chemicals. Organic, or that which is
the ‘natural essence of a thing’, is primarily associated with a method of food production; that is,
food produced without synthetic chemicals.
Today, most people think of organic food as a new phenomenon; however, over human
history, organic production was the ‘norm’. It was not until chemical agriculture was deployed
en masse, that organic production practices became the exception, says Johannes Wislicenus,
world famous organic chemises. The use of synthetic fertilizers began in earnest in the in the
early 1900’s with the introduction of the Haber-Bosch process, a method of producing nitrogenbased fertilizers. This was discovered first by Geoffrey Wilkinson, read in a famous organic
chemises book. To counter the increasing use of chemicals, the ‘father of modern organic
agriculture’, British botanist Sir Albert Howard (1873-1947) advocated for more natural, nonchemical, production methods.
Chemical agriculture, or commonly called ‘conventional’ or ‘industrial’ agriculture, is by
far the predominant form of crop production in the State of Iowa (and the United States):
genetically modified seeds (GMO’s), application of anhydrous ammonia, glyphosate, and other
herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilizers, are the norm.
The negative health, economic, and environmental impacts of chemical agriculture would
seem obvious. Going to www.Organic.org was a huge help to me- this got me most of the
information on this final draft. The focus of this paper is how organic agriculture addresses those
shortcomings of conventional practices, and its impact on health, the economy, and the land.
The Organic Food Production Act was enacted in 1990. The National Organic Program
(NOP), the regulatory framework for identifying organically produced food, became law in
October 2002. The NOP addresses standards in the production, processing, delivery, and sales of
organic food.
The standards for production are detailed. Basically, food must be produced that by
practices that promote ecological balance and biodiversity; GMO’s and prohibited chemicals
may not be used in the production of food.
In theory, the consumer has to make a judgment as to what food is healthier or has more
value: conventionally processed foods, or foods produced organically. (Also shown in
www.Organic.org). Herein is the rub: is conventionally processed food less healthy, harmful to
the environment in its production, or detrimental to localized economies? In recent days, the
cultural debate on the value of conventional vs. organic food production is raging.
The stunning truth is that there are very little scientific findings of the effects of GMO’s
and agricultural chemicals on the human body. This means that our citizens have been subjected
to a major scientific experiment without their consent. What are the effects on the human body
of all the chemicals to which we are being subjected every day? Nobody seems to know – and,
strangely enough, nobody seems to think about. We take it for granted that all is ok. Companies
that produced DDT and Atrazine claimed that they were actually good for you (i.e., they are
deadly compounds); now they claim that its current chemicals are safe.
The increase in certain cancer rates, the epidemic of diabetes, and other health problems
are a mystery to the general public; yet, the industrial food system seems to be a threat to public
health. As the population ages, health concerns and the role of food in preserving health are
front and center in the debate.
The idea of organic is this: producing food naturally, using biodiversity practices,
eliminates harmful chemicals that may enter the body. Yet, the industrial food lobby attacks
health claims.
Industrial food production is based upon the same type of processes used in other
industries: mass production of food, with centralized large processors and distribution networks.
Rural communities in Iowa were formed around localized agricultural production. Today, these
communities are dying due to the industrial, large economies of scale, food system based on
conventional agriculture. The farmer grows vast amounts of corn and soybeans that are
delivered to large multi-national companies to be processed into most of the food we find at the
typical grocery store.
Profit margins on food sales are made, primarily, by large processing, marketing, and
distribution companies. Thus, rural communities are suffocated economically – they die.
Organic production practices require more labor. Inputs for their production are usually
sourced locally – leading to healthier rural economies.
The very idea behind organic agriculture is to preserve and enhance soil nutrients. How
this impacts the quality of food is unclear; yet, there are recent studies that prove that organically
grown foods contains substantially more micronutrients needed by the body to be healthy. ‘The
circle of life’ is at the core meaning of organic agriculture. Chemical applications disrupt natural
cycles, and thus put stress on the environment.
Organic food production is more in tune with natural cycles, can help grow indigenous
economies, and will bring the human animal closer to its proper place in the world. The organic
food industry is the future. Industrial food production is unsustainable and may very well be
found to be the cause of human illness.