When you order fruits online or travel to traditional grocery stores, you might have come across organic fruits. But, are you aware of the processes required to certify these fruits as organic? And also, why are organic products so expensive?
Well, these organic fruits are produced by organic farming tools and techniques. These practices are aimed at producing fruits via sustainable agriculture in a pollution-free, eco-friendly environment. The primary focus here is to use only naturally available resources, such as aquatic waste, crop, animal and farm waste, along with other biological materials and beneficial microbes as ingredients to provide nutrients to the crops, and also protect them from pests, insects, and diseases for better agricultural production.
Principles Of Organic Farming
Organic agriculture comes with four principles in regards to health, fairness, ecology and care. The principle of health further determines that organic agriculture must enhance as well as sustain the health of the plant, soil, human, animal and planet as one. Considering this view, this kind of farming avoids using pesticides, fertilisers, food additives, and animal drugs, which might result in adverse health effects.
Organic agriculture must implement the principle of ecology. This means that farming should be completely dependent on living ecological cycles and systems, emulate them, work with them, and sustain them. Those who produce, grow, trade or consume organic fruits and other organic products like fresh juice must benefit as well as protect the environment, including climate, biodiversity, landscapes, habitats, water, and air.
When considering fairness, organic agriculture must be built on relationships and show fairness to the common environment. Fairness needs systems of distribution, production, and trade, which are equitable and open in account to social and real environmental costs.
Under the principle of care, organic agriculture must be handled in a responsible and precautionary way to protect the well-being and health of the present and future environment and generations. The decisions made must reflect the needs and values of all who can be affected, through participatory and transparent processes.
Due to the rising threat of global climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, soil has become among the most vulnerable natural resources present on the planet. As per the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, agriculture, soil and climate changes are linked interchangeably, where soils react as the largest reservoir in the world of carbon, even more than the atmosphere and the terrestrial vegetation. Agriculture, along with other human land activities, is responsible for around 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, certain natural land procedures eventually absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, working as a carbon sink. Hence, organic farming holds the potential to maintain natural, healthy soil, which in turn absorbs carbon. Additionally, by avoiding the usage of artificial chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides, organic farming eventually fights off climate change.
Benefits Of Organic Fruits And Other Products
Unlike regular farming, organic fruits and other products, such as orange juice, have proven to create a lower environmental impact. Organic farming helps in maintaining the soil fertility and nutrient levels by balancing soil, biodiversity and minimising topsoil erosion. It further helps in water conservation as it avoids heavy pesticide and fertiliser application, minimising the phosphate and nitrate disposal in water bodies.
Furthermore, organic farming is well known to contribute less to any climatic changes by maintaining healthy soil, which acts as a carbon sink for the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, and also emits fewer greenhouse gases than other conventional techniques.
Not only this, but organic farming also promotes better health for the people. Organic fruits come with low levels of toxic metabolites, pesticides, and synthetic fertilisers. Hence, due to the lack of pesticides, organic products are locally grown and shipped only short distances, eventually resulting in healthier products for the consumers.
How To Identify Organic Foods?
Some tips that you must follow in order to identify organic foods are:
- Organic foods do not come with a very shiny and smooth surface as compared to conventional produce. These fruits or vegetables usually have a dull colour and odd shapes. Even though naturally, each vegetable or fruit comes with unique edges and bombs, if the produce looks very uniform and shiny or smooth, there are chances it is not organic.
- Organic fruits online Dubai do not last very long. As they are preservative-free, nothing is added during the process of packaging to increase their shelf life.
- Usually, the strong fragrance of organic vegetables or fruits is much more potent than conventional foods. Whenever you purchase an organic orange, mango or coriander, your entire space might come alive with its fragrance.
- Organic fruits are rich in nutrient concentration. Their taste is far better and more flavorful than the conventional ones.
Conclusion:When purchasing an organic fruit, you can go through the organic food certification, as it guarantees and confirms adherence to the organic food safety standards set forward by the government or other organisations. The certification logo clearly represents that the product has fulfilled the rules for the best practices of organic farming. To choose the best for your health, try switching to organic fruits and vegetables over conventional ones. If not available in a nearby store, you can conveniently purchase organic fruits and fruit baskets via online grocery apps.
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