General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Organic" Farming and the True Cost of Food-A Small Farmers Perspective [View all]Warpy
(111,141 posts)that show that organic produce is indistinguishable from factory farmed produce. Of course it is, that's not the point of farming organically.
What needs to be looked at is the soil that grows that food. Organic methods build the soil instead of mining and depleting it, adding vegetable matter, nitrogen from manure, and other nutrients from sheet composting and other methods. It's been proven time and time again that a well run organic farm will see an increase of yields over factory farming as soon as the soil has been built and a stable insect ecology achieved.
The word to focus on is "sustainability." Organic methods are sustainable without factory produced nutrient replacements for depleted soil and production isn't dependent on international trade routes.
Organically grown food is grown more labor intensively and that is much of the difference in cost. In addition, it's a little more challenging to set up reliable supplies for off season demand. However, it's becoming more available by the year as smaller farmers make the switch away from agribusiness.
Tl,dr: Don't look at the food so much when you consider the benefits of organic produce. Look at what it's been grown in.