organic farming for all?
I was talking to a farmer from the north of the Jordan Valley at the Souq al Ard (Farmer's Market) this morning. He was selling organic lemons. I don't know what the standards for organic growing are in Jordan but I suppose you have to believe what the farmer is telling you.
Anyway, this farmer was telling me that he thinks all fruits and vegetables grown here will be organic because the farmers will not be able to afford the fertilisers and pesticides which have gone up by over 50%! I was quite shocked at the huge rises which will, of course, be reflected in the market.
I felt sorry for the farmer and bought two organic lemons for half a dinar! T
Anyway, this farmer was telling me that he thinks all fruits and vegetables grown here will be organic because the farmers will not be able to afford the fertilisers and pesticides which have gone up by over 50%! I was quite shocked at the huge rises which will, of course, be reflected in the market.
I felt sorry for the farmer and bought two organic lemons for half a dinar! T
posted by joladies at Saturday, June 21, 2008
1 Comments:
when I used to work at the Jordan Times, my beat was the environment, I remember covering sn EU-funded organice produce program (which seems to no longer exist)... we learnt that growing organic plants costs much more than non-organic ones, because of the expensive environmentally friendly ways used for combating pests, which cost more than chemichal ones.
In fact, if living costs go up, organic farming is more likely to suffer because farmers will go for more cheaper non-organic pesticides... meaning more pollution and health risk...
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