Have you tried using the virgin coconut oil? Did you know that VCO or organic virgin coconut oil can cure acne with its lauric acid content? Well, this is just one of the many benefits of using organic products that only organic farms can provide. There are a lot more to discover, so it’s time to explore!
WHAT ARE ORGANIC PRODUCTS?
Organic products are grown without the use of chemicals and pesticides. Moreover, these products are cultivated and processed by farmers in organic farms using natural fertilizers to keep away pests and doing crop rotation to eliminate weeds.
Organic products fall into four broad categories, which are FOOD (like organic fruits and vegetables, organic meat, organic dairy products, organic fish, and organic health drinks), TEXTILES AND OTHER FIBERS (trendy native bags, Barong Tagalog, etc.), MEDICINES AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS (Virgin coconut oil, lip balm, and make up; Lagundi cough syrup, massage oils, herbal teas, and others), and FARM SUPPLIES (organic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides).
Here in our country, the Philippines, these products can only be categorized as organic if they have contained ingredients that come from plants and animals grown in organic farms that passed the Philippine National Standards Specification for Organic Agriculture. These farms are being checked by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards to test and prove that they are free from harmful substances or chemicals like the conventional fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. These farms are also expected to follow the best farming methods in organic agriculture.
One of the many products of the coconut is the virgin coconut oil, which is widely known for its many uses and benefits. It does numerous wonders in the body. It cures acne, aids in weight loss, improves digestion, and regulates metabolism. Aside from the Virgin Coconut Oil, another product that can be made from coconut, which promises positive health results is the coconut organic soap.
The base ingredients are triglycerides also known as oil or fatty acid, and sodium hydroxide also called lye. Organic coconut oil is used as triglycerides instead of unhealthy animal-based fatty acid. For the lye solution, coconut water is used to dissolve 100 percent lye. The coconut milk is also added to soaps as a moisturizer. All the ingredients are then mixed using the correct standards of measurement to form soap into molds. In soaping terms, this process is called saponification.
When it comes to medicine, organically grown oregano is known and proven to cure a cough. The mixture of simple ingredients like organic oregano leaves, molasses, and water can give instant relief. This medicine may also be given to farm animals like chickens and pigs. However, the process of fermentation is necessary. Lagundi can also be used if oregano is not available since they have almost the same function when it comes to body health.
Most trendy bags and clothing here in the Philippines are usually made of native materials like buri, water hyacinth, bariw, and abaca. Fibers from these materials are classified as “lignocellulosic” given that they come from plant sources. These natural fibers constitute important examples of renewable and biodegradable materials that have moderate to strong tensile strength. Research has shown that the strength of the fiber is inversely correlated with the fiber diameter. Simply put, thinner fibers are much stronger than thicker ones.
Turning these natural fibers into textiles and weaving materials may require physical processes like cooking and dying or chemical processes like treatment with lye to separate the fibers. Once the fibers are ready, they can now be woven, sewn, and embroidered. The famous “Barong Tagalog” of the Filipino people, which uses pineapple fiber is an example of such a product.
Organically grown fruits and vegetables make a healthy green salad. This can be mixed with other organic ingredients like vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The fresh fruits and vegetables can also be combined to make a healthy concoction of juices and smoothies, thus make you strong and fit.
To make your drinks healthier, try adding yogurt. Yogurt is a food that is made from milk that has been added with bacteria. A similar probiotic drink known to aid digestion is Yakult, which like yogurt, is made using the process called fermentation. Probiotic drinks usually contain ingredients like bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota, skimmed milk, and sugar mixed together.
The Japanese technology used in making Yakult is also applied in organic farming. In the Philippines, organic rice wash is used to ferment and attract beneficial bacteria. Unpasteurized milk is then added to kill harmful bacteria in the fermented rice wash. Muscovado sugar or agriculture grade molasses is also added to help multiply the lactobacilli during the fermentation process. Gil Carandang, the father of organic farming here in the Philippines, calls this product LACTOBACILLUS SERUM. Some of its many uses are probiotic drinks for animals and humans, deodorizers for pig pens, and as a decomposer agent for animal manure and other organic matter around the farm.
Some organic products used in the farm are fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
Fermented Plant Juice or the FPJ is an example of a foliar fertilizer. Young “kangkong” shoots are chopped into smaller pieces and mixed with other organic matters using the fermentation process. Shoots contain growth hormones, so adding them into the mixture assures the growth of the plants.
Organic pesticides also undergo the same process using mixtures of plants that can kill insects and other organic ingredients. Neem, marigold and hot chili are among the plants with natural insecticidal ingredients.
WHY ORGANIC PRODUCTS A NECESSITY?
In organic agriculture, nothing is wasted, and almost everything can be recycled to form new organic products. Organic food and products are also a lot healthier and are safe to use compared to those artificially made products.
With organics, people are free from harmful chemicals and illnesses like cancers, diabetes, arthritis, and other immune system disorders. Above all, it helps people live a sustainable lifestyle that planet Earth would be ever grateful for and happy about.
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In India, everything was organic in the beginning. But, the technology based Agriculture introduced in India, has totally spoiled not only the health of the people but also their minds. ICAR has to be blamed for continuously giving a wide publicity to the artificial and chemical fertilizers, pesticides blown methods etc., which has virtually spoiled the Agriculture in India. Added to this the denial of minimum support price to the farmers was always there in his grievances. It was never attended to with sincerity by any Governments.
Even now, the Governments are not realizing the importance of the organic nature of products. They are openly delivering the Diary milk and other products though knowing pretty well it is all made of an artificial milk powder. Still, they are following mixing of powder milk liberally to the regular quantity, which in no way will improve the health of the public. It is adding only to the quantity but not the quality of the milk. They are showing this in their budget estimates as the development made by spending crores of rupees annually. Shouldn't we laugh at these policy makers?
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS REGARDING THIS MATTER. YES BECAUSE OF FAST UPGRADING OF TECHNOLOGIES USED IN FARMING, ORGANIC GARDENING IS REALLY AFFECTED. FARMERS ARE ONLY CONCERNED WITH HOW MUCH THEY PRODUCED AND NOT HOW HEALTHY THEIR PRODUCTS ARE. THAT IS THE SAME AS WITH THE GOVERNMENT, THEY ONLY THINK OF THE INCOME THAT THEY MIGHT GET.
A great wealth of information. Our food in the States tends to have too much chemicals. Organic is the way to go. It is healthy and yes, it helps avoid sicknesses. Sometimes, people complain that organic food is expensive but my response to that is that there is no price for health. Sometimes, it pays to protect your health,avoid sicknesses and a mountain of medical bills. A small investment indeed.
In Africa our people were using crop rotation system of farming in the olden days before the introduction of fertilizers. in those days our people know how to manage their farm and get bamper harvest and healthy foods stocks. Since the introduction of Fertilizer and other chemicalized form of farming, the farms are no more producing as it was in the olden days.
i don't believe in organic farming as it is another way of exploiting our farmers for the benefit of a few as fertilizers did. Now we are been told Fertilizers are not good for the environment, did they not know this when they introduce fertilizers into our farming systems. because they have now gotten the profit they want from fertilizers, they are now introducing organic method and are saying fertilizers are not good. all chemicalize foods are not good if not natural.
I AGREE WITH YOU SIR CALEB, THE MORE HEALTHIER WE ARE, THE LESS MEDICAL BILLS WE HAVE.
IF WE MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, WE CAN AVOID BACK AND THROUGH TO THE HOSPITAL.
AS YOU SAID, IT IS FAR BETTER TO PAY EXPENSIVE ORGANIC FOODS BECAUSE ITS FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR BODY.
I hope we can also have organic farms here in our place. Although in Tagaytay they have lots of organic farms.
And yesterday at Salamat Dok, Sonia's farm in Tagaytay demonstrated how to make a salad made of edible flowers like a variety of edible rose and the hyacinth or gumamela.
I was amazed that we have edible rose petals in Tagaytay. I wonder how they taste as a salad. I love vegetable salad.
There are organic farms here in Benguet, actually. Benguet State University is implementing organic farming and hopefully, they will maintain it.
However, nonorganic farming is very common. Farmers here in our place usually use pesticides and chemicals that are not organic.
Although the vegetable products have good qualities that are good for exports but are not safe for our health unless one will wash it properly before cooking.
One for us to remove the chemicals or pesticides from the vegetables is to soak it with lukewarm water with salt.
According to the Centre for Science and The Environment, washing vegetables and even fruits with 2% of salt water will remove most of the contact pesticide residues normally found on the
surface of fruits and vegetables.