subject: A Healthy World: Global Styles In Natural Farming [print this page] There was much talk recently about the worldwide environment and what issues have developed since the bulk of producing is conventional farming rather than the more traditional organic farming. Conventional farming allows for the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides-some of which has been found to harm the environment, even when used correctly.
Nations throughout the world are, to varying degrees, checking out organic and natural farming techniques as environmentally-friendly ways to grow produce for the world's population while keeping the environment as nutritious as possible. Organic farming, as we know it today, began in Central Europe and in India. Today, there are many countries focused on growing produce using organic strategies without reducing the world's food supply.
In the US, natural food can be formally certified "organic" by passing strict guidelines assuring the food is truly organic and natural.The certifying organization is known as the "National Organic Program".There are other organic food movements in the US, even so, that are trying to bypass the formality of certification by proposing other, less expensive requirements, like the "Authentic Food Standard".
This standard allows for the passage of several criteria, including that all foods be sold by the organic producer, that fresh produce, milk, eggs and meat be sold within 50 miles of their production and that cheese, wine, bread and other fermented products be produced using traditional techniques.One more US-based organic and natural food method is based on producing and selling organic food products locally.
Throughout the world, food that is grown using strictly organic techniques accounts for approximately 1-2 percent of gross food sales. Organic food sales, however, are growing dramatically worldwide. In fact, the world organic food market has been growing consistently since 1990 at a rate of 20 percent per year.
Actually, the world organic and natural food market has been growing consistently since 1990 at a rate of 20 percent per year.In the European Union, the EU-Eco-regulation organization regulates all of the organic food in Europe.
In Austria, natural farmers have been given incentives and experts expect that up to 10% of all foods grown locally. In Germany, almost all baby food is completely organic and, in some places, up to a third of all bread is baked using organic and natural ingredients.Italy has gone even further to assure that its children eat organic food. Its government has legislated that, as of 2005,all food prepared in school lunch programs must be organic and natural food.In the UK, it was reported that more than 600,000 hectares of land was allotted and managed under organic and natural care requirementsand sales of natural foods increased from around 100 million pounds to over 1.2 billion pounds in only ten years.Perhaps the biggest change has happened in Cuba, where, in 1990, the government banned many chemicals used in conventional farming and converted the land in the whole country to organic farm land.
Clearly the globe is going organic and several countries are light years ahead of the US in promoting organic eating and providing incentives to organic farmers. The trend, however, is definitely headed in the right direction.
by: Jenni Snook..
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