Are Organic Farm Products Health Risk?

by Delano Telan Tefora

Many farmers today have averted going to organic farming mainly because of its inevitable implication to farm income. The benefit of using chemical fertilizer comes down to convenience it is readily available in large quantities, easy to apply, and the work is fast. Fertilizer costs higher but the profit is immediate if all other production requirements like water are made available. But chemical fertilizer application results to many drawbacks. Most of them are negative long term effects to man and his environment.

The cost of application of chemical fertilizers and other farm inputs to the farmers are proportionally high profit that they have lost their concerns for consumers’ health and the environment. The practice is thoughtlessly the use of synthetic fertilizers and the unconscientiously spraying of pesticides to food crops just to achieve more profit.

In a seminar, I attended: “Organic Farming Without Conscience” hosted by Dra. Blesilda M. Calub, a researcher from the Farming Systems and Soils Resources Institute, UP at Los Baños, Laguna, held at the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), conference hall, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City last year, she talked more on the said Organic Farming System. She discussed trends on the latest technologies and issues in agriculture and fisheries research.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) assigned a national coordinator for Organic Agriculture Research and Develop-ment. The BAR organizes and sponsors the seminar for free to keep the public aware not only on Research & Development (R&D) related activities in line with the thrusts and programs of the government. It also informs the people on the importance of organic farming and its effects long advocated and funded by the BAR in R & D projects.

Farmers are always given available infor-mation deemed important and necessary. Organic farming is a production system that avoids the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizer and genetically – modified organism. This will nurture and sustain both the productivity of the farms and health of the consumers. The environment will rely on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local condition. “It is farming with conscience”, Calub pointed out.

Organic farming in our country is still in its infancy stage. For the people to fully appreciate it and its long term benefits to human and environment, it has to be well-understood. Scientific research and development are needed, more advocacy and information campaign on organic farming system in the country, documentation of success stories and effective indigenous knowledge system are needed. To do this, partnership and linkages, building effective alliances among government agencies, NGOs, academe, people’s organization and civic groups are required.

Food security is another issue raised. Organic farming many believes will cause “famine” because a farmer who decided to go into organic farming system reduces the yield causing food shortage. Economy collapses leading to hunger. Famine is unlikely because “yield reduction depends on the degree of ecological destruction of the land and yield reduction occurs mainly during the transition – conversion period (from conventional to organic farming) which requires only about 3-4 years. 

In the seminar, it was explained organic farming practices multiple cropping and minimum tillage, while conventional farming practices monocropping and clean culture. The implications to farm income is huge for organic farming since it is a low inputs cost as it mainly uses farm generated inputs such as farm animal manure, crop residues and farm grown botanical pest control agents. Is products have premium price ranging from 10 to 25 percent higher than the conventionally–grown crops?

On the economic issue, organic farm products are more expensive than the non-organic because of the limited supply and availability in the market. Therefore, it becomes less affordable to common people due to the high demand. 

“We shall all die anyway, why bother with organic farming?” some people asked. We can choose the way we want to die,” and to live with a healthy organic lifestyle early in life is better than having to spend later for hospitalization and expensive medicines. 

Consumer must be wary of vegetables and fruits with pests and pest damages. It is possible to produce high quality organic vegetables without pest damage. Any pest damage can still occur with pesticides application due to wrong dosage and wrong pesticides used for that pest. Botanical pesticides should be the last resort for pest control. There are any other organic farming methods to manage pests according to Dr. Calub.

Weighing the danger between the organic farm products produce using chemical fertilizer and pesticides, organic farm products are of low risk to human health. Organic farming is environment friendly, saves foreign exchange and more healthy to both farmer and consumer.  /MP