Kids' guide to food: Why organic farming and food?

Why 'organic'? 'Organic' is a rather odd name since all food is organic, meaning that it's made from living things. But it seems to have stuck. Organic farming is called 'biological farming' in some countries.Then there's biodynamic farming... and permaculture. All these slightly different types of farming are sustainable which is the most important thing to remember. Confusing, isn't it!

What's so great about organic food? It looks much the same as ordinary food produced by modern farming. But there are differences.

When you buy organic food, you support farming which is sustainable. Because no hazardous chemicals are used, farmers don't get contaminated and nor do their families
Organic farming is friendly to our planet and the wonderful diversity of living things on it (often called biodiversity)
Organic foods should be free of pesticide (or other synthetic chemical) residues. Nobody knows what the long term effects of eating slightly contaminated food might be. High levels of pesticide residues can kill or poison people. Lower levels of residues may cause cancers such as leukemia in children
There seem to be small but real differences in minor nutrients with organic fruit and vegetables being better
Organic produce does not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) which for some people is very important (see box below)
Many people claim that organic food tastes better

Problems with organic growing: Can organic farming feed the world?

Many studies indicate that yields from organic farms are around 20 percent less for many important food crops. The reasons for this are twofold: lack of nitrogen in the soil and crop rotation. This means that at any one time, about a fifth of farmland is not producing food because it has to be sown with soil-building cover crops and nitrogen-fixing leguminous plants to restore fertility
Organic food is usually more expensive
Organic farmers are missing out on all kinds of useful traits which genetic engineering offers (like disease, pest and drought resistance, greater yields and many more). Why? Because organic regulations ban anything which involves genetic engineering of any type including the precision technique called CRISPR. But this ban seems to be based on conviction rather than on scientific evidence. It doesn't have to be like this — here's A co-existence peace plan for GMOs and organics

Here's some useful links which tell you much more about sustainable organic farming:

The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Organic Food
Beginner’s Guide To Seed Saving
Organic Gardening Resource Center
Ultimate Guide to Bee Keeping
Union of Concerned Scientists: Toward Healthy Food and Farms