Organic farming for Earth Day... and every other day!

What does this mean for all of us?  On this day, we must become aware of the fragility of the ecosystem in which we live. All our actions, no matter how small, can make a difference in saving our Earth.

As an inhabitant of Earth, you make choices every day.  When put together, the wise and environmentally friendly choices we make can make a difference for the coming generations.

Our choices include recycling, recuperating, reusing, and repairing things, choosing transportation more wisely and consuming organically grown food and products.

Why and how can organic agriculture help us save the planet?  Here are the distinctive elements that characterize this type of agriculture:

• Organic farming uses cultivation methods that allow for greater carbon sequestration. The soil is the world's largest carbon pump when plants grow with minimal tillage. Carbon sequestration by organic agriculture is an essential element in strategies to reduce global warming caused by the greenhouse effect.
• Organic agriculture now uses the term regenerative to refer to its farming practices. A healthy soil contains an immeasurable amount of microorganisms that work in symbiosis to produce delicious food. All the herbicides and fungicides that are used in industrial agriculture unbalance this important ecosystem. Healthy soil means healthy food and healthy people!
• Organic production prohibits the use of genetically modified grains and pesticides. Pesticides contaminate the soil and water and cause various pathologies in children that were not known until recently.
• Organic livestock production is an integral part of the cycle of regenerative agriculture as it provides organic fertilizer to the grain crop, which is then used as food. It's a wheel that turns.
• Organic production requires that animals be raised to standards that respect the natural behavior of the animal, while eliminating the use of antibiotics throughout their lives.
• When processing organic food, there are no added preservatives, only natural organic ingredients.

As a consumer, it is through our daily actions that we can help improve the lives of future generations. Each small gesture may seem like a drop in the ocean, but it is the accumulation of these drops that ultimately makes a difference.

Happy Earth Day!

Germain Camiré, consultant agronomist
Secretary of the Canadian Certified Organic Pork Producers