Going Green: Organic Food and You Stephanie Davis

What is organic? Organic farming means a ban on synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides The organic movement embraces other issues as well: Animal welfare Social justice Energy efficiency Local production and consumption

Overview Environmental Benefits Health Benefits Economic Benefits Discussion

Economic Issues Yield Organic production is inherently inefficient 20% lower yield than conventional agriculture 20-40% higher in drought years High demand Demand has increased 20% each year for the last 5 years Because of demand and high prices, worries about cheating/fraud

Economic Issues Standards Vary widely by country Can’t replace conventional agriculture completely Land needs to be taken out of use for crop rotation Won’t produce enough for animals as well as people

Economic Issues So it is better economically? Uphill battle Different focus than conventional agriculture Economic worth depends on values of consumers

Health Issues Food Quality Protection Act (1996) Health-based safety standards for food pesticide residues “Reasonable certainty” of no harm (raw and processed) 10x safety factor for infants, children Lifetime risk Endocrine disruptors Registration renewal

Health Issues Difficult to compare conventionally- grown food to organically-grown food Lack of studies Vitamins and minerals Soil Association study: More Vitamin C and Iron People in developed countries tend to get enough of these anyway No other definitive studies

Health Issues Other nutritional benefits Secondary metabolites (anti-carcinogenic) Studies refute benefit Fertilizers and Pesticides 60% of known natural and synthetic pesticides are carcinogenic USDA tests random samples for illegal pesticide use Too much present Illegal application

Health Issues ConventionalOrganic Residues Present 73-79%23-27% Multiple Residues Present 46-62%6-7% Residue Levels 66% of the time lower than conventional

Health Issues Organic does not mean pesticide-free “Drift” Past use Fraud Dose-Response: Effects of any given chemical depend on amount exposed to, frequency and length of exposure and toxicity of chemical. Age also plays a role. Problem lies in finding the lowest level where harm actually occurs

Health Issues So is organic food better for health? Government has measures in place to protect food supply Vitamin, mineral benefits not obvious Organic does not mean pesticide-free Consumers may be misled

Environmental Issues Biodiversity is increased with organic farming Legumes and/or cover crops Resists disease Uses less energy on the farm Per unit area and per unit yield 7% more energy efficient Less waste from chemicals, feed Less fossil fuels consumed for fertilizer, also reduces NOx emissions

Environmental Issues Energy savings overall uncertain Demand in Europe, US Farms in Australia, Latin America and Asia Energy expended to ship product Against ideology? In the US, organic does not mean GM-free In Europe it does Accumulating mineral deficits

Environmental Issues Is organic food better for the environment? Environmental advantages of organic food are more apparent than other advantages. Problems with mineral deficits could become more important Energy savings could become more important as energy prices increase

Should we go green? Ultimately it’s up to the consumer and what they value. Organic food won’t go away, judging by demand But won’t take over either Consumers need to be better informed Pesticides Nutritional Benefits

Questions?