Another insider choice a few years ago, organic has become democratized at high speed! In the collective unconscious, organic is necessarily better for health and for the planet than conventional agriculture. True or false?
What is organic farming?
Compared to so-called conventional agriculture, organic fruits and vegetables are grown according to a charter: the AB (Organic Agriculture) specifications prohibit the use of pesticides, i.e. "phytosanitary products", or synthetic phytosanitary products. These terms designate any substance used to combat organisms considered harmful by farmers: fungi, insects and weeds. Organic agriculture does use pesticides provided that they come from natural substances or substances derived from natural substances or from a list of a few exceptions such as slaked lime (its real name is calcium hydroxide), paraffin oil (although derived from petroleum) as well as sulfur and copper compounds, copper sulfate being the pesticide most found on organic foods, used as a fungicide (anti-fungi). Methods that are not necessarily harmless to humans or devoid of harmful effects on the environment.
Natural is not perfect
A priori, however, we say to ourselves that the absence of pesticides is necessarily better for health and for the planet. But the charter is perhaps not strict enough because it authorizes, for example, copper preparations that come from synthetic mineral chemistry such as the famous "Bordeaux mixture", a mixture of lime and copper sulfate obtained industrially following the chemical stripping of copper by sulfuric acid. A mixture authorized but far from virtuous. Not being biodegradable, copper has negative effects on the microorganisms in the soil where it accumulates, collateral damage well known moreover raised by the INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research) in a scientific expertise. Problem: in organic vines as for organic potatoes, there is no alternative. This counter-example allows us in particular to understand that it is difficult to make a generalization about organic, because each crop has specificities.
The flaws of organic
Organic products therefore meet specifications that target chemicals, but ignore essential points: organic farming can be grown while using practices that are aggressive to the environment and soils. Indeed, “conventional” agriculture uses ploughing just as much as organic farming, even though it is one of the most disruptive practices for soils and biodiversity . Indeed, all the characteristics of a crop must be considered to assess its impacts and to be able to compare organic and conventional. In this case, using a few grams of glyphosate but preserving the soil from practices that destroy its balance by lifting it is probably less harmful than doing without a little chemical product but destroying the earth's ecosystem (bacteria, earthworms and fungi that make it rich). Furthermore, organic farming has a lower yield. That is to say, for the same production, organic farming needs more land, an area that will generate more greenhouse gas emissions during production.
Globalized organic = harmful organic
Another criterion to take into account: the place where the organic product is grown compared to where it will be consumed. If they come from the other side of the world (and even more so if they are over-packaged in plastic), organic products will have a very poor ecological balance sheet compared to vegetables grown conventionally but consumed locally. Indeed, the ecological damage of transport and its greenhouse gas emissions, the petrochemicals used for packaging, will never be offset by the absence of pesticides in organic farming.
Furthermore, the organic label and charter do not guarantee respect for workers on farms. Farm workers on organic farms work in deplorable conditions, including in Europe. For example, peppers, tomatoes and other summer vegetables that we still find on our shelves at the end of the season come mainly from Spain and its "sea of plastic" in Almeria. This area that produces organic produce for the whole of Europe is largely cultivated and harvested by seasonal migrant workers, who live in conditions close to modern slavery. The organic label is in this case a marketing argument far removed from consumer expectations.
Organic fruits and vegetables, better for your health?
And as for the nutrient content often touted by organic producers, it does not depend on whether or not natural or synthetic pesticides are used, but on the variety of the plant, whether or not it is exposed to the sun, air pollution and the richness or poverty of the soil. Not to mention the nitrogen fertilizers used and the time of picking. A fruit grown organically but which finishes ripening in a container will not be as rich in minerals, vitamins and others as a fruit that has remained ripening on its tree while benefiting from the benefits of the sun. It is therefore very difficult, if not impossible, to decide and decide on this subject. Once again, an organic family farm, local or national, will necessarily be a guarantee of better quality compared to fruits or vegetables from an industrialized organic culture far from home.
Organic, better for farmers’ health
Today, while we know that it is better to avoid consuming pesticides, their effects on consumers' health are still debated. This is not the case for farmers: sustained and repeated professional exposure to pesticides is a proven risk factor for Parkinson's disease, certain blood cancers and prostate cancer. Enough to lose your health... Especially since France has not achieved the objective of the Ecophyto plan to reduce the use of plant protection products by 50% by 2025, an objective already postponed several times since its creation in 2008. Incredible but true: France saw sales of plant protection products increase significantly in 2018, with a jump of +10% for the famous glyphosate, extremely toxic but extremely effective. Stopping the use of this substance would make farmers' work unprofitable. While some farmers have stockpiled in anticipation of future bans, they have also bought in abundance less harmful products that will have to be used in greater quantities to achieve the same results.
The advantages of organic
Despite the imperfections of the charter, for the farmer, growing organically means rediscovering the profession of farmer, reconnecting with nature, observing it in order to intervene at the right time. Apart from large-scale globalized organic farming, organic farmers adhere to a virtuous global philosophy even if it is not included in the specifications. Namely: respecting ecosystems,producing healthy food , supplying short supply chains, optimizing energy and water consumption, reintegrating biodiversity. It is also a positive choice for the community because organic pollutes much less, which reduces the costs of water and soil decontamination treatments. Organic farming helps reduce these expenses for society. This is why organic farming is necessary, and often better, even if it is not perfect.
Beyond organic, conservation agriculture
The organic charter can therefore be improved with a third way, between conventional agriculture and organic agriculture: conservation agriculture. Non-organic, this agriculture uses a set of virtuous practices for ecosystems: not plowing the soil, avoiding having "bare" soils by sowing a "vegetable cover", that is to say a mixture of plants which prevents it from degrading and becoming impoverished by losing its precious organic matter. However, to practice conservation agriculture, it is necessary to use a little glyphosate, to destroy the "vegetable cover" between two seeds and prevent it from growing back and mixing with the crops. This pesticide is so powerful that an absolutely minimal quantity is enough (the best farmers manage to use only 1 to 2L/hectare!) to manage the problem of the cover. As for organic farmers who also want to preserve the soil but cannot use pesticides, they practice mechanical weeding to remove the plant cover. A tedious and complex technique that must be added to organic practices. Today, this conservation agriculture makes it possible to stop depleting soils, whether cultivated organically or not.
The future of organic
So, to really do well, to preserve one's health AND the environment from the damage of intensive agriculture and pesticides, agriculture should therefore both convert to organic, ban all synthetic chemical molecules but also apply all good soil conservation practices. So many practices that would allow us to practice truly virtuous agriculture, "real organic", and not globalized or low-cost organic. Short-circuit sales should also become more democratic: without an intermediary, the farmer is more fairly remunerated.
These are all practices that will build the regenerative agriculture of the future, which some are already calling ABC (Conservation Organic Agriculture). This new agriculture is currently based on the motivation and goodwill of new generation farmers who are truly ecological.
If organic farming was an important step, it is now overtaken by the ecological crisis which requires stronger measures, and real support for farmers by the public authorities. On your scale as a consumer, you can support this transition by reducing supermarket purchases in favor of local producers' markets, and by choosing food without packaging, produced in France or ideally in your region, and - in fact - consuming fresh and seasonal products. At present, there is no form of productivist agriculture that allows farmers to live well while preserving the environment. We should therefore review the entire agricultural system!
