Pesticide-Free - Why you should know what goes on your food

Food is the literal lifeblood of our world. We have spent centuries figuring out how to get the most out of our harvest. When you grow, you want the most. What happens when something wrecks half your crop? Pesticides arose from the standpoint of producing more food; to grow more food, you need less pests.

Pesticide, what is it? It is a compound made to control, repel or kill pests. There are three types of pesticides – herbicide, insecticide and fungicide. These pesticides target different kinds of pests, but all do the same job of keeping pests off crops.

Pesticides are often non-selective, which means they kill whatever they encounter. This is great if you run a large-scale operation but not viable if you're a small farm. Pesticides can also pose risk to those who use it or consume it to develop long-term or chronic health conditions.

The ever-present argument regarding food is whether we should produce more. We are a growing population, and that doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. So, to feed our growing world, the argument is this: more and cheap or intentional and healthier?

Large-scale farms or growers will produce large amounts of food, usually with the help of pesticides, to make sure their food looks good and make it to the distributor. Small, organic operations look for different ways to prevent pests. To avoid the destruction of crops, organic farms use things like crop rotation – a fancy word for planting other crops in the same spot.

Organic farmers focus on growing the best quality food with little intervention. This means not using traditional pesticides but natural pest deterrents and creating a symbiotic host/prey relationship. Not all animals and insects pose a threat to crops and can be beneficial to the farm.

Looking at organic farms, you see a much more sustainable practice. Synthetic fertilizers are not permitted for organic farming. Instead, organic farms use compost to fertilize the crops, reducing waste on the farmer's end. The waste reduction comes from using crops that didn't make the cut – called green manure.

These practices result in crops that are better taken care of, unmodified and are harvested during their peak seasons. This means you get them at their most nutrient packed and most delicious. Who doesn’t like better tasting produce that is actually good for you?

When it comes down to it, we at Cultivatr prefer to support the small farms. We get to know our farmers, why they grow what they grow and why they love it. We want to share the goods of these farmers that would otherwise not be available in the grocery store. So, next time you look for produce, think about replacing some of your weekly grocery store run with products from your local farmer.