In these times when organic foods are increasingly gaining approval among health-conscious people, more and more farmers are going into organic production.

For the farmer-members of the Kilolog Multi-Purpose Farmers Cooperative (KIMFACO) in Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, producing organic rice has become very rewarding as they have not only found a sure market for their produce, but likewise preserve the well-being of the people in the community. That is because they have already withdrawn from the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in rice farming which pose health and environmental hazards.

With the initiative from the local government unit of Magsaysay in partnership with Don Bosco Diocesan Youth Center, Inc. and with the grant aid from the Canadian Government, organic rice production was proposed in 2002 as one of the flagship projects under Magsaysays Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Commercial production of organic rice took off in 2003 when initial harvests were sold at the community level. At first there was difficulty in introducing organic rice to the consumers due to its higher price (current price is P40 per kilo). Again with the assistance from LGU, organic rice was repackaged and was given the brand name MagRice, which stands for Magsaysay Rice.

HOW MAGRICE IS PRODUCED
MagRice, as claimed, is organically grown by the farmer-partners in the community. Carlos C. Ortiz, program manager, says that farmers adopt biodynamic and Korean natural farming methods and preparations by using indigenous materials and preparations. These include milk and honey spray, detoxified rice seeds, natural minerals, composts and herbs.

Milk and honey spray, according to Ortiz, is traditionally used by farmers in European and Western countries for their orchard. Here in the Philippines, it is the first time that milk and honey spray is used for rice production, he said. The concoction can attract natural enemies in the field, improves aroma and grain quality, and claimed to make the grains heavier.

On one hand, the use of detoxified rice seeds (seeds produced from third to sixth croppings) is aimed to make sure that the resulting crops will be free from the traces of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The farmers carefully practice roguing or elimination of mixes to preserve the purity of the seeds. Only the traditional inbred varieties from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are planted by farmer-partners.

Relatively, measures are adopted to prevent contamination of the crops. One of which is building buffer zones by planting vegetables along the paddies and constructing canalets at every boundary.

The farmers were also taught on soil nutrient management and development. They practice composting and making organic fertilizers right at their own farm. They also apply natural minerals such as crystal quarts to meet the mineral requirement of the crops.

Korean technologies such as the use of fish amino acid, plant enzymes and juices to supplement nutrients are continuously practiced.

GOOD YIELD
By adopting the recommended technology for MagRice, yield stands at three to 4.5 tons per hectare (t/ha) for farmers who are first time in organic rice farming, and 5 to 5.5 t/ha for those who are into organic farming for quite a longer time.

DEMAND IS INCREASING
On the average, 50 bags of MagRice are sold in every outlet per month. Currently, there are two authorized distributors of MagRice in Magsaysay. The demand increases during lean seasons when some of the consumers turn to organic rice for their rice requirements.

One typical problem encountered in organic rice production is the low supply. To address this, farmer-partners are being encouraged to sell their produce directly to the co-op to maximizc their profit. The farmers are insured of good price for their organic palay which is bought at a higher price per kilo.

At present, there are approximately 3,000 rice farmers in Magsaysay. Out of this number, 143 farmers are into organic farming.

MARKETING
One marketing strategy developed for MagRice is selling it at the government and private offices. LGU Magsaysay also continuously promotes MagRice by attending trade fairs in the province and nearby provinces. And it did not take long before MagRice became one of the bestsellers in these trade fairs.

MagRice is available in 2, 5, 25 and 50-kilogram packaging. One can choose from aromatic rice, long grain softy white rice, red rice and fancy rice.

How Are Organic Foods Produced?

Produced in organic farms, these foods are grown under stern supervision and guidelines and are packaged and grown without using any pesticides, man-made fertilizers, preservatives, artificial colorings and other chemicals. Non-organic products are subjected to various chemicals, which are usually not thoroughly studied so that their effects over the consumers’ body can be understood and contemplated. These chemicals may be linked to anything from some types of cancer to food allergies.

Benefits Of Consuming Organic Food

One of the main advantages of consuming organic food is that these food products are not at all subjected to any unreliable substances. Dairy and meat products prepared under organic principles are also free from any form of chemicals. Non-organic agricultural farmers usually subject the livestock to various chemical supplements designed for speeding their weight and growth. Further, cows in the dairies are given chemicals for increasing their milk productivity.

As per the guidelines for organic foods, the livestock is reared without using any antibiotics or growth hormones and are not genetically modified in any way. The benefits of organic foods are that the livestock are given only organic feed which is free from chemicals and supplements.

Another advantage of consuming organic food is its friendliness to the environment. The non-organic foods are treated through chemicals, which are responsible to change the landscape and contaminate the surrounding ground and water supplies. The ground in which organic food is grown experiences no changes. Making commitment towards using organic foods will make you healthy as the benefits of organic foods lie in enjoying natural whole foods free of chemicals.

As the benefits of organic foods are long lasting and varied to the environment, the decision for going organic is responsible and a healthy one.

In several countries, the producers of organic foods need to get an organic certification so that they can advertise their food products as organic. Chemical free food products are not able to cure any existing illness but are believed to reduce the risks of intoxication of the body, thereby leading to lesser health related problems. The market of organic foods has been fast developing, as the customers are becoming increasingly health conscious and aware about the after effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers used in crops on their health.

Virtually, everyone may agree that organic vegetables, fruits, fish and meats are preferred to non-organic foods grown with insecticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers. At present, non-organic food growers are allowed to make use of more than 1000 chemicals upon their crops, which may heavily lead to soil erosion because of over-farming to the dangerous toxics running off into drinking water.

When does a difference matter? Who hasn’t been intrigued during a shopping visit when you read one packet where “free range chickens” have been “sustainably farmed”, while the other packet simply shows the price and pound details for what must be the “alternative chicken” produced by industrial farming and mass distribution means? How do you choose? Is one more “chicken” than the other?

Does the carton showing happy cows grazing on verdant pasture settings along with the words ” organic food” make you stop, think and buy? And what about the buyer’s dilemma when one brand of organic milk differentiates itself from competitor organic milks because the milk is ultrapasteurized…and in the same food case another organic “raw” milk claims that it’s better for you, fresher because it hasn’t undergone any pasteurization?

What’s Meant By Natural And Organic Food?

For one, natural and organic food certainly now means very big business, with producer networks extending from Argentina to Calgary to California and beyond, with tens of thousands of retail outlets, and a market value estimated at $11 billion. No other food segment grows sales as quickly as organic food.

* The Packaging Narrative.

The story-line depicted on organic food packaging conjures up childhood bed time stories, where peacefully bovine animals pass their lives away on idyllic farm pastoral settings. You think “hmmm these must be safe foods, communing with Mother Earth” and so you buy more in a mood of culture rejection of modernity and Big Agribusiness interests. But, is this view valid or simply nave?

* The Reality.

The organic food reality? Think regular industrial business style operations. Big farms and 24/7 growing operations selling to big warehouses demanding consistent product features, reliable delivery, low prices, mechanization, just like the regular industrial food “house brands”. The pressure for “product standardization” and financial survival rapidly morphs any small scale farming ideal into a business-as-usual operation. True, the “marketing spin” and the adroit use of the organic food labeling “narratives” seems to be passing along some tidbit of information about the food’s origins to buyers. However, is this merely a distinction without a difference?

Benefit Of Organic Food- There’s More Than What Meets The Eye.

If the benefit of organic food has to do somehow with how it’s raised, or produced, then what explains the organic food benefit of ultrapasteurized milk which clearly has lost nutritional value due to the high heat processing? Answer emerges from the business reality that the product is sold over long distances, therefore requires big-time shelf life and stability. Transportation logistics converts to a “buyer’s benefit” all with the stroke of a pen.

* Does The Critters Organic Meal Mean The Steak You Eat Is Organic?

What about “organic beef”? Turns out that beef you buy that qualifies as “organic” merely reflects that the beast was confined to a fenced dry lot and ate certified organic food grains. Where’s the grass and pasture? Apparently, the actual grass and pasture depicted on the package are not necessary to qualify as legitimately organic food, under FDA packaging regulations.

* True Organic – Complex Rather Than Simplified.

In the rare case when a small farm carries a mixed stock of animals such as chickens, pigs, turkeys and cattle and then truly raises these animals on sun-based pasture grasses utilizing an organized pasture rotation plan, then you’re getting as close to organic as Mother Nature allows. No pesticides are necessary, no herbicides, virtually no antibiotics occur. Why? By exploiting the cow-ness of cows, the natural mob-and-grazing tendencies of bovines…adding the co-evolved relationship of scavenging fowl like turkeys and chickens which eat worms and waste matter…you get as close to a “free lunch” as is possible. Wastes from one species become breakfast for another. So, who picks up the energy tab, when petrochemicals are avoided? Where does the energy come from? The sun.

Pros And Cons Of Organic Food.

To the extent that the farm land producing your food did not use the raft of petrochemical fertilizers, herbicides and drugs, and that the workers did not inhale carcinogenic compounds, and that the land’s fertility and complexity were not compromised, then the benefit of organic food remains indirect and frankly invisible.

* The Moral Feel Good Aspect.

When you buy into the perception and product reality of organic food you feel better about yourself, and somewhere some piece of land and its farmers are also a bit healthier. All good stuff.

* Pricing Pains For Consumers.

Feeling confused? The pros and cons of organic food do nothing to reconcile $4.00 plus prices per pound for tomatoes, or $18.00 per pound prices for beef, or $2.70 price for milk being sold next to $1.80 containers.

* Taste Superiority?

Will organic food necessarily taste better? No. Freshness and delivery timing have a far greater impact on taste, so the local end of the industrial food chain can still “whup” the organic boys, if the food is significantly fresher by the time you buy.

* Nutritionally Better?

The jury’s out on the issue of nutritional completeness. Bottom line, there’s no way to prove any particular superiority of organic food over regular store produce.

Organic Pet Food.

Organic dog food, its cousin organic cat food and organic bird food are only three classes of specially produced foodstuffs for family pets. If you’re buying pet food from a major national retailer, then you’re buying-in to the industrial food chain. You’ll pay higher prices. Your pet’s food might be better…you’ll certainly feel better about serving it. But, is it really making a difference?

* Simple Alternative To Organic Pet Food.

Resolve the confusion. Why not cook up rice, add raw eggs and shells, plus break up a multi-vitamin into your dog or cat’s food?