The Way Organic

Organic farming / gardening is not only the wave of the future, but also a rich legacy from the past - and get this - the present, because most of the world is simply too poor to use any other method.

Nature is perfect as it is.

When we observe the mountains and forests we see beautiful flowers and trees which have grown without man’s interference or help. Materialism has influenced agriculture. Because we want to grow more food and to grow it bigger, man has resorted to the use of fertilizer.

In these modern times we use chemical fertilizers which end up adversely affecting the land, the environment and our physical bodies. The overuse of these chemical fertilizers causes many side effects in the land and poisons the soil, just as the use of medicine causes side effects to the human body.

This causes the land to purify itself, just as the human body does, and the result of this land purification is increased insect damage and problems with weeds. As a consequence, the farmer uses chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides to control these problems.

This in turn causes the poison of chemical pesticides and herbicides to be introduced into the soil, which exacerbates this vicious cycle. The introduction of the organic agriculture movement was believed to be a solution to this problem. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, organic counterparts of these were developed to combat the problems of poor soil, insects and weeds.

But organic agriculture is becoming a big business as well, and the focus has been on making money. As long as the guidelines are met for organic farming, the farmer is free to use whatever methods he chooses as long as they meet the organic standard.

The original spirit of the organic movement, such as care for the environment, human health, and quality of life is becoming lost in the big business of organic farming. If we do not change our perception, the organic movement will also not be enough.

Sadly, the only difference between organic and conventional farming is whether organic materials or chemicals are being employed. Instead, we have to change our core awareness of agriculture, which means that we must include and focus upon the spiritual component so that Natural Agriculture does not become merely another method of growing food.

Monday and Tuesday of this week I attended an Organic Farming Insitute of sorts at Southern Unversity in Baton Rouge. Though most of the first day focused on the official definitions and regulations concerning what IS "organic" and how does someone get to call their produce "organic," other parts of the program were thoroughly enjoyable and edifying in a different way.

My favorite presenters were Tom Dana (The Dana Farm) of Lumberton, Mississippi and Paul Davidson (Equiterra Farms) of Clinton, Louisiana. Dana was a man of straightforward, simple language that was inspiring to listen to, while Davidson was a gregarious extrovert of a guy whose enthusiasm for his farm was exceeded - in terms of creating excitment in his audience - only by the actual farm itself, which we visited Tuesday morning.

Favorite fellow attendees included Azeez Mustafu, his wife and his granddaughter of Sumter Cooperative Farms near Sumter, South Carolina; Isaiah Cline of Pine Bluff, Arkansas and his partner L. Doolittle; Lacey Dupre Baque, a graduate student in Organic Farming at LSU; Kathy Rivette and Robert Williston of Avondale Plantation in Clinton, LA; and Danica and Cheryl of the Holy Rosary Organic Garden in Lafayette, LA.

Here are some sites that feature information about The Way Organic: 1. Don't Panic Eat Organic ! 2. The Garden Spot 3. Organic Web Ring