1. It tastes better. No wonder, the soil is better. Better soil grows healthier plants. Healthier plants taste better. Test it sometime. Try an organic, locally-grown tomato and then try one that is neither local nor organic. The highest-rated chefs are opting for organic. You will find many organic foods at the best restaurants. In fact, there's a coalition called “Chefs Collaborative 2000” whose purpose is to stimulate the production of food using practices that are environmentally conscious.
2. Since 1996, food products labeled organic must meet the standards of US organic law. By requiring certification, the government is able to apply strict standards for growing practices and the handling of products without toxic chemical inputs. Both farmers and processors are required to keep detailed records. Inspections are conducted annually by a third-party official. Organic management must be declared by farmers and handlers. The land on which organic food is grown must not be subjected to prohibited substances for at least three years.
3. It lowers health risks. Many of the cancer-causing chemicals such as pesticides were approved by the EPA before research revealed that they are dangerous for humans. Today, the EPA condemns 60% of all weed killers, 90% of all fungicides, and 30% of all insecticides. It began to be apparent in the 1980s that farmers, farm workers, and their children were being made sick by the chemicals being used on their farms. In the past, the tests were done only on adults and on the assumption that exposure was to only one chemical at a time. The fact is that there are many exposures to chemicals in our daily lives such as in water, household cleaners, flea powders, etc. We should all be seeking ways to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals, particularly in the food we eat.
4. The nation's reservoir of soil for agriculture is improved by organic farmers. Instead of taking the easy way out of using chemical fertilizers and insecticides, organic farmers build up the soil so plants can resist disease and insects. They use age-old practices of proper tillage and the rotation of crops. Farmers who are still using large amounts of chemicals destroy the organic matter that exists naturally in the land, which in turn destroys the ability of the land to hold water. To compensate, crops must be irrigated using more and more water every year. Soil and chemicals run off and pollute our lives and our world.
5. Scarce water resources are respected by organic farmers. In the groundwater of 40 states, the EPA has revealed 98 different pesticides. The drinking water of over 100 million people is contaminated. And agriculture is the major polluter. Soil that hasn't been subjected to the chemicals and the depletion of natural organisms doesn't need as much water.
6. The most innovative agricultural researchers in the country are the organic farmers. There is very little outside support for this research, but organic farmers are dedicated to the protection of the planet. They use a wide range of production techniques that accomplish production goals without compromising the land. Some examples: crop rotation, natural pest control, composing, and cover cropping. These farmers are eager to share what they know and do so through journals and conferences and any way they can find to contact each other.
7. Rural communities are strengthened and preserved by organic farmers. Family farms, once the bulwark of American society, have been disappearing at alarming rates all across the country. Organic farmers are still owned by families instead of corporations. Organic farmers, who are striving to preserve the family farm by farming more intensively, can keep some of the small farms alive.
8. Organic farmers have collected and preserved seeds that are in danger of becoming extinct. This living treasure represents billions of years of evolution and thousands of years of selection for agriculture by human beings.
9. Buying organic supports the farmers’ intent to work with nature, not against it. We have already seen the impact of chemical-intense agriculture on the environment. A healthy ecosystem requires the balance that organic agriculture represents. When you buy organic, you join this small army of committed people who are working to build a healthy environment for the production of the food we consume.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari