There are many benefits to eating organic food, but often it is only after growing your own that you being to really appreciate them.

Barry Green, who runs the Tourist Radio network here in Western Australia, runs Boronia Farm using Permaculture principles. He has a point of view about organic farming worth hearing, and a down to earth way of explaining it:

When we apply soluble fertilizers the plant draws in water and takes on all the nutrients that are floating around in the water. Because the plant grows larger than before we think we are clever, but if people live on Coke and Big Macs they to grow to spectacular size but this does not mean that they are healthy, so too with plants. Plants fed on a soluble fertilizer diet are basically less healthy, and so attract pests and diseases that have evolved in nature to help weed out unhealthy specimens so that only the strongest survive. Having created unhealthy plants farmers are then locked into an expensive spraying program to protect the plants that no longer can protect themselves.

You can read Barry’s excellent article in full here, as well as refer to an excellent set of resources he has put together about organic farming:

• Organic Farming — Putting the culture back into agriculture

1. Reduce your carbon foot print.
2. Know where your food comes from.
3. Know what is (not) sprayed on your food.
4. Educate yourself and your children about things that grow.
5. Save money.
6. Eat quality organic produce every day.
7. Pick vine ripened fruit and vegetables.
8. Avoid eating cold storage produce (12 months then gas ripened).
9. Pick just what you need for a meal - nothing wasted in the crisper.
10. The joy of having a productive garden.
11. Have a talking point with your friends and neighbours and admire your own accomplishments,
12. Get more in touch with nature.