Organic products have become increasingly popular the last few years. In supermarkets, more and more organic products are available nowadays. But did you know that there are also distinctions within organic growing? There are different ways of Organic growing. For example, you can do it the Rudolf Steiner way, this Austrian man came up with a method in the 1920s that we now call Biodynamic agriculture. Frank de Koning is our Organic grower who follows this method, he produces salad vegetables and we visited him to see how he does it!
What exactly is organic agriculture?
Organic farming does not involve the use of chemical or synthetic pesticides. Artificial fertilizers are also omitted. This way, the plant grows with only natural help. The plant also grows in the soil and not in other substrates. Organic crop protection and natural fertilizers are used. Extra attention is paid to the cultivation and manual care of the crop. Despite the extra attention, the crop yield is often slightly lower than regular cultivation because the crop grows more slowly. Also, diseases cannot always be fully controlled so some is lost. Therefore, organic products are more expensive than regular vegetables.
Biodynamic agriculture
As mentioned earlier, the concept was coined in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner. He was concerned about the rise of industrial agriculture and the use of artificial fertilizers. His ideas were later developed into a practical method. Biodynamic agriculture is a special form of Organic Cultivation. Here even stricter requirements are imposed on the method of cultivation of the products. Particular attention is paid to animal welfare, closed cycles and ecological factors. During sowing and harvesting, cosmic and spiritual aspects are also considered.
Benefits of Organic
There are a couple of benefits to organic produce. Much research has been done on the possible health benefits but it still remains a difficult subject. This is partly because "what is healthy for you" is a broad concept. Studies show that organic products contain more of some nutrients, but less of others. Howerver, it is fact that none or very few chemicals are used on organic products, which means that these cannot be found on the products, as is the case with regular cultivation. Besides the health aspect, organic cultivation also pays attention to emissions and the environment. Diversification is also an important component. The soil itself is used more efficiently by switching crops instead of applying nutrients to the crop itself. So organic cultivation is at least an environmentally conscious choice.
If If you have any remaining questions regarding organic vegetables, don't hestitate to contact me! Peiman Diepenhorst, via Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken. and I will help you!