Food, shelter and clothes are the basic necessities for any human. Unfortunately in today’s scenario, all the basic necessities have become luxury, and luxuries like AC, fridge, washing machines have become necessities. The food we eat, have lots and lots of chemicals and pesticides sprayed on them. Many people, at least whom I’ve seen, are suffering from some or the other health issue. It’s really good to not sit with the thought of having some problem and feeling bad about it. But, one thing we can always do is rectify where we are going wrong. I believe farming practices with heavy usage of pesticides is a major reason behind a lot of our diseases and it is not only affecting “US” but damaging the whole environment. Farmers who are exposed to these kinds of chemicals are also more prone to lung issues and few types of cancers. As the land is filled up with pesticides, there won’t be any nourishment left on the ground. To make it fertile again, it takes a minimum of 4-5 years and can go up to 10 years.
So, the solution to all this is farming practices going natural/chemical free/organic. Even though all these three terms mean completely different things but more or the other, elimination of chemical sprays is the solution. But if the farmer wants to shift to a natural or chemical less practice, there will be a drastic change in the yield. And the farmer has to survive that whole year, with the less yield. I heard this from someone who is into natural farming, a lot of inconsistency about the yield after shifting to natural practices which makes the prices to be on the higher side when compared to the regular pesticide ones.
I also understood that there are many reasons for the organic products to be on a higher price range. A whole lot of factors like maintaining the farm, getting certifications of organic products, packaging, manpower affect the price and on top of that most of these products are perishable which adds another overhead. Also, these are not produced and processed and packed in bulk like the regular ones. Hence there is a chance that it might end up on a higher price. Ironically, not all farmers are able to sell their products on the higher side. Even here, there are middle men who eat into the profits.
Recently, I met someone who is into organic wholesale business. When I have told him that I am trying to collect information about farmers so that both customer and farmer can be benefited, and moving on further there would be more demand for the local foods, so the prices also might work for both of them, the first thing he told is if there are no middle men, and customer meets farmer directly then there is a high chance of farmer getting greedy. I couldn’t understand the logic behind it then or probably I will never understand it.
But do we have to shell out extra from our pockets to eat organic? To be frank sometimes the prices are bomb. Most of the time it looks like organic food is only for elite people. Buying organic products from retail outlets where there would be around 15 AC’s to maintain the store would obviously make you a pauper. But, we don’t generally get to believe small stores who sell organic. I don’t support someone who is exploiting in the name of organic. But I feel there’s a difference between exploiting and pricing it on a higher side. And if there is enough supply to meet the demand, I feel even these prices might come down. What can we do instead? That is one more reason for me to collect the details of the farmers.
Personally, I’ve seen a huge decrease in my thyroid levels after I stopped eating junk and started eating healthy and organic. My TSH level was 8.5 and then it came down to 0.19 in a month. My thyroid dosage was reduced. Unfortunately, as I was travelling continuously, I couldn’t always end up eating healthy and organic, but tried to maintain as much as possible. And, this helped me to at least maintain the present levels. I get organic vegetables for 3,000/- a month home-delivered every week from myHarvestFarms. I’ve been to the farm personally and checked what all practices they use and then started the subscription. People might think I’m crazy for spending 3,000/- on vegetables every month, whereas the normal ones could cost just around 1,000/- per month. But end of the day, I feel them to be more tasty, no tensions about pesticides and how to clean them, so I can save time on cleaning them, less cooking time and I get to eat different varieties every week and completely consume all the vegetables that were given to me, so more nutrition 🙂 Also, I get to know where my food is coming from which gives me greater peace and satisfaction. Since I get the vegetables directly from the farmers and pay them directly, they get a better price which they deserve for their produce and satisfaction for all the effort they put in.
I’ve seen many people around me who would spend more than 5k per month on restaurants, but they think paying 3k per month on vegetables is expensive. I can’t stress and tell that everyone should buy and eat organic. I know maintaining finances is not a joke. But if you can and have small space, start growing your own veggies, start with small ones like methi, palak and other greens. At Least few, you would be eating pesticide free. Have good food now and avoid spending later on hospitals 🙂
If anyone knows any farmers practicing natural farming methods, I would love to have their contact.