“What should I buy organic?” This question clings to the conscience of shoppers as they compare prices of organic vs. conventional oranges at the supermarket and ponder the necessity of an “organic cotton” tee shirt. The answer is not just the dirty dozen, a list of thin-skinned fruits and veggies at high risk of pesticide and chemical contamination, and the impact of your decision could be more significant than you think.
Image credit: organicgirl.com
It is easy to begin your quest for organic products by looking at how each choice will impact your own body. The state of your body is what you live with on a daily basis and is understandably the first thing you think of when deciding what to put in, or on it.
Consider the broader impact of buying organic products though, and you’ll quickly see why things like coconuts, which are far from thin the skinned items in the dirty dozen, are smart to buy organically.
Choosing organic over conventional products can impact:
- Your health – any pesticides and chemicals used to produce conventional foods can be absorbed and passed along to you when you consume them.
- Nutrients – several recent studies show organically grown foods have a higher nutrient content than conventionally grown.
- The environment – organic practices decrease the amounts of harmful chemicals deposited in the soil and water systems, and maintain higher standards for production practices and land use.
- Other living things – organic farming techniques help create viable ecosystems where many species, organisms and plants can exist in their natural habitat: from organisms in healthier soil to insects and animals that live in the natural ecosystem.
- Communities – the people who produce the food you purchase are impacted by your choice as well. Workers on conventional farms are exposed to high levels of pesticides and often deteriorated work environments. Entire communities can be impacted by the land use practices of conventional faming.
In the case of coconut farming, the positive impacts of organic practices are widespread, which is why, at Yoga Earth, sourcing coconuts for ‘PURITY’, our coconut water powder, from organic farms was first priority.
As the regulations on organic cultivation of coco palms explains, organic coconut cultivation is almost a necessity in order to maintain the vitality of the trees and the land they grow in, and means the following practices are ensured:
- The site of organic coconut tree growth must be a natural habitat with a continuous supply of water (a necessity for the tree’s growth and production) and an ample supply of chlorine in the soil.
- Seeds for planting must come from healthy, productive stock plants, which helps ensure the next generation is naturally fertile and productive.
- Monocropping is not permitted and at least one, if not several, bottom crops must be planted with the coco palms. Legumes are suggested as a good “green fertilizer crop”, and it is highly beneficial for the health of the soil and wellbeing of the farmers to plant “multi-level agroforestry systems” with crops like cacao, bananas, pineapples, spices and animals all living in harmony amidst the coco palms. This creates a healthy interworking ecosystem that all crops benefit from, as well as an increased amount of marketable goods that farmers are able to produce and sell to support their livelihood. Diversified coco palm plantations like this will also provide useful habitats for insects and special bees that contribute to the fertilization of the palms.
- All harvest and processing residues such as shell fibers and ash from burning the coco husks should be returned to the area as natural fertilizer for the soil. Lack of nutrients in the soil can only be remedies by adding organic matter and compost.
- Biological methods of plant protection are used instead of pesticides or other chemical resolutions to disease or pest issues. It is advised that creating a “balanced cultivation system” where several crops work in harmony with the coco palms, diseases and pests will naturally be prevented.
- Harvesting methods do not allow for cutting down the tree, which can cause serious erosion problems, habitat destruction and crop degradation.
The conscious decision to source organically grown coconuts for ‘Purity’ helps us ensure that our product is not only the best possible product for you to put in your body, but also for the environment and people that produce it. We are proud to support the organic practices listed above with each packet of organic coconut water powder we sell.
Organic sourcing, along with our fair trade and eco-friendly practices behind ‘PURITY’ organic coconut water powder help us create the best coconut water on the market for all parties involved: from the bees that live amidst the cocoa palms and communities of people who work hard to grow and cultivate the crops, to the environment we protect with more eco-friendly packaging and distribution practices and the consumers who enjoy the best quality organic coconut water available.
Sources:
Organic Farming in the Tropics and Subtropics: Coco Palms, Natruland e.V – 1st edition 2000
Organic Trade Association: www.ota.com
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