With lots of help from Co-ops around the country, organic food has become a $6 billion industry that is growing at a rate of 20 percent per year.  At present, one percent of all food in the United States is organic—but in much of Europe, the percentage is higher.  In England, for example, it is 3 percent.  Also in England 8 percent of the country’s agriculture budget goes to support farmers making the transition from conventional to organic farming.  By comparison, in the United States, $28 billion goes to price supports for conventional farmers, and no money goes to support those who want to make the transition to organic farming.  Yet, for many of the reasons you will see below, organic farms are increasing by 12 percent per year in the United States.

1. For the Future – The foods we choose now have an impact on future generations.  Children are receiving four times the exposure of an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides used in food production.
2. For the Land – Organic farming methods help protect the soil from eroding.  Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming.  In conventional farming, soil is basically just a medium for holding plants in a vertical position that is efficient for chemical fertilizing.  Organic farming keeps plants in their natural positions and uses methods to build up the soil.  Soil erosion, in part due to conventional farming, causes more than three billion tons of topsoil to be lost in the United States each year.
3. For the Water – Cancer-causing pesticides from conventional farming contaminate the primary drinking water supply for more than one-half of the country’s population, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
4. To Save Energy – At one time, small family farms depended on human energy.  Today, most food comes from large-scale factory farms that use more petroleum than any other single industry in the country, consuming 12 percent of our total energy supply.  Organic farming is more labor intensive, usually including weeding by hand and using green manure to cover crops, rather than using synthetic inputs.  Organic produce is also usually grown on farms that are closer to your home, meaning that less fuel will be used to transport it to you.
5. For Your Health – The Environmental protection Agency estimates that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides, and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic.  This does not even include the relationship of these products to other diseases.  Some pesticides that are banned in the United States are used in developing nations, where many of our food products originate.  Some chemicals that are banned in the United States can still be manufactured here and sold to developing nations, where they are used on crops that are eventually sold to U.S. consumers.
6. For the Health of Farm Workers – Supporting organic food growing helps protect the health of farm workers who suffer from many more hazards than even we do because of their more intense exposure to chemicals.  Pesticide poisoning among farm workers in California, for example, has risen 14% per year since 1973.
7. Help Save Small Farmers – Most organic farms are smaller than 100 acres and independently owned.  The United States has lost more than 650,000 small farms in the past 10 years.  Organic farming is one very important factor that is helping small and family farms stay alive in this country.
8. Conventional Foods Have Hidden Costs – In 1988 alone, more than $74 billion was given out by the federal government to support conventional farms.  Other costs that confront all taxpayers and consumers are the cost of testing and regulating chemicals used on farm produce, the disposal of hazardous wastes, environmental damage and rising healthcare costs.
9. Help Promote Biodiversity – Most large conventional farms plant one main crop to sell year after year.  This depletes the soil and leaves it without nutrients and minerals.  It limits the kinds and amounts of plants, insects and wildlife that the land can support.
10. Organic Food is Just Plain Better Tasting – This is why more and more restaurants and well-known chefs are joining the organic movement.