What does the term "organic" mean? Will eating organic foods
boost your health? The term "organic" denotes a method or
philosophy of growing food that is sustainable and friendly to
the environment. The general idea is to produce as much food as
the local farm environment (or farm ecosystem) can support while
at the same time not threatening the health or diversity of any
plant or animal populations within that ecosystem. A major
concern in organic farming is to maintain the fertility and
renewability of the soil. This is achieved through different
practices such as crop rotations, inter-cropping, and use of
green manure (plants that are grown for the sole purpose of
being returned to the soil as a high-nutrient fertilizer). Other
focal points of organic farming include: - protecting the
environment - protecting the biological diversity of the
ecosystem - recycling and conserving resources - promoting the
health of livestock (through techniques such as adequate
housing, prohibition of synthetic hormones or fo