Table of Contents Chapter 1 What Is Organic 4 Chapter 2 Sustainable and Organic Farms 20 Chapter 3 Benefits of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture 36 Chapter 4 Challenges of Organic Farming 46 Chapter 5 Future of Organic Foods 52 Working as an Organic Farmer 60 Glossary 61 Source Notes 61 Selected Bibliography 62 Further Information 63 Index 64
1 What Is Organic There is a growing organic food trend sweeping the nation and many grocery stores feature a variety of foods labeled organic In these organic sections you will find carrots onions kale bananas and oranges almost everything found in the rest of the produce department At the butcher counter there’s also organic beef chicken and pork The dairy cooler holds organic milk cheese yogurt and eggs Organic food is available in many areas across the United States and in many other countries around the world Why is it so in demand One reason is that organic foods are not exposed to human-made pesticides and fertilizers But that’s not the whole story Farmers who grow organic products and the people who buy them also want agriculture to be sustainable This means they want to grow food without using large amounts of energy and materials and to allow farmers workers and farm communities to maintain a fair standard of living Avoiding the use of chemicals is just one part of a trend toward sustainable agriculture Have you noticed the organic foods section at your local grocery store 4
Organic Foods
What makes food organic, how is it different from the other foods at the grocery store, and why might you choose to eat organic?
About This Book
By: David M. Barker
Illustrated by:
Published by: Lerner Publications an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group
