As a child growing up in Taiwan until my eventual migration here to the United States, the words of organic or Non-GMO has no meaning. It was never mentioned to me or talked about, it simply does not exist. Why? Because it was the norm, the standard, the understanding that everything was grown as it has always been for centuries. I recalled the days visiting my grandparents out in their fields, picking out weeds, identifying bugs and listen as they tried to educate a 5 year old on how a crop should be tended.
While I never did become the great farmer they were, I’ve gained a lot of respect for farmers and the food that was grown. I have seen day-in and day-out of their tireless efforts, the time and especially the love they place into the caring and tending of their crops as if caring for a child. It left an everlasting memory in me.
When I see the food at a grocery store, or at a market, I can’t help but to think behind this food there is always someone just like my grandparents who has put their hearts and souls tending to their crops, just so I can taste this beautiful food, just so I can survive.
As with many experiencing the magical effects of aging, and especially with one who bares a child, or… many children, one tends to start questioning everything around them. If what they are seeing makes sense, if what they Guess which one is me… are seeing will be good for the future, for their children and for future generations all around. Sitting through endless daily traffic as the family chauffeur driver for my kids, it is thoughts like this that fills the empty voids of the mind, in asking myself why my grandparents choose to be organic farmers, and of my family roots.
While there are certainly benefits of non-organic or GMO crops such as an increase in crop yields, reduced production cost, and enhanced nutrient, I’ve personally decided that organic and Non- GMO are more beneficial for my family, but also for the overall environment.
On the health side, there are evidence showing an increase in some nutrients, especially a significant increase in flavonoids which contains antioxidant properties, omega-3 fatty acids for a more healthier heart that are found in meats, dairy and eggs, and the lowering of cadmium (toxic metal), pesticide residue, and the risk of bacterial contamination.
On the environmental side, organic farming has helped to enhance soil and water quality, reduce pollution, providing a safer, healthier livestock habitats with a more natural livestock behavior, and most importantly, it helps to provide a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm.
Both sides has its pros and cons, there is no doubt about that, but the next time as you sit in traffic as perhaps your family’s chauffeur driver with a mind filled with void, do fill them just as I have, and then simply ask yourself, “To organic, or not to organic? That is the question…”
-Ming
