Organic farming certainly has a lot to offer to humans and the environment, but that doesn’t mean it’s always better than conventional farming. To understand how this can be the case, we need to start from the basics: who ‘names’ and ‘certifies’ cultivation, and how.
Organic farming means that farmers produce raw materials and food with specific methods and processes so as not to burden the environment and humans with fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, etc. For this reason, the raw materials are specified with specific certificates on their packaging. In the USA, it is ‘USDA organic’, and in Greece, we have different certifications and bodies.
However, does this organic certification cover all the benefits to our health? Many studies have been conducted on certified organic foods, but there have been scandals as well, without necessarily devaluing their value. Perhaps it strengthens the need for the existence of proper certification methods and agencies.
On the other hand, there are many growers who do not have organic certification, but their foods are clean. Why are they successful? Because they rely on direct marketing to consumers, on the trust they build with their clientele in retail and wholesale, and they benefit from seasonality, and locality.
Therefore, the added value of a product should not necessarily come from its certification, but the person who produces it.
