Locally grown healthy foods are easier to find than you might think. If you want to make informed decisions about the produce you buy and know where to get the healthiest alternatives, keep reading.
Some people wonder if it’s worth it to spend a bit more for organically grown foods. If you care at all about what you’re putting into your body, the answer is yes. After all, what’s more important than your health?
Why Eat Organic Produce?
John Hunte, President of the Organic Growers and Consumers Association (OGCA), describes organic farming as a sustainable management system that has a tangible output, which is measured as food or produce.
He explains, “The system of organic certification is meant to verify that the sustainable and non-damaging component of management is maintained from seed to serving. Yet it is about more than the production of a crop, but also about the enhancement of soil, plant and animal biodiversity, as it is the system that is certified even if a crop has not been produced.”
Some Good Advice for Dealing with the Modern Reality
“As more people learn that organic produce is in high demand, some unscrupulous farmers and vendors will claim their produce is organic. Others will claim or assert that locally produced fruit or vegetables are equivalent to what qualifies as organic,” Hunte warns.
One of OGCA’s challenges is convincing the consumer that the vast majority of locally produced crops are grown with harmful agro-chemicals that not only pollute the crops, but also pose a danger to our drinking water and near-shore marine environment.
Hunte points out, “We are trying not to alienate local farmers and we aren’t telling people not to buy vegetables, but be discerning in what you buy and from where. You should ask vendors about the source of their produce; ask the grower how they control weeds or fertilise their crops.”
He advises householders to identify the crops that are most heavily sprayed in conventional farming and grow those at home rather than buying them.
Contact Walkers’ Reserve at Tel: 422-9308 if you’d like to purchase organic seedlings to get your kitchen garden started.
Making Organic Produce More Accessible
The Organic Growers and Consumers Association is looking for a stand-alone centralised food hub to encourage more growers to go organic with a guaranteed purchasing scheme that distributes or delivers organic foods to customers.
Hunte is upfront about some of the association’s challenges, “What is currently happening is that members find their own markets and clients, which they then try to service on their own. Each time we have begun the central purchase system, the demand has outstripped our capacity to supply, our internal management has not been strong enough and our coordination has been inadequate. These are some of our weaknesses but also the things we recognise need to be improved and are achievable.”
The benefits of eating organic food and having organic farming systems are numerous. Indeed, for many organic farmers in Barbados and abroad, it’s not just about avoiding the use of synthetic pesticides – principles of caring for the environment and living in tune with nature are equally important.
Nothing Goes to Waste
Organic farms embrace biodiversity. Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, refers to the variety of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and other intertwined life forms on Earth. Each species, even the smallest one, has an important role to play. Micro-organisms consume other organisms and waste is produced, as with human beings when we eat. In a truly productive ecosystem, this waste is then used by another micro-organism.
A Sacred Approach to Working with the Land
Wouldn’t you want to eat food that is grown in a balanced ecosystem?
PEG Farm, is one place that has such an ecosystem. Located on Easy Hall Plantation in St. Joseph, this one-of-a-kind farm has employed the principles of biodynamics, broad acre permaculture, free-range animal husbandry and holistic management to “transform the land and its people from the current state of unbalance that is the result of centuries of exploitation”. PEG stands for People, Environment, Growth.
Holistic and biodynamic management practices are being put to work to restore soil damaged by centuries of sugarcane cultivation.
Biodynamics:
According to the Biodynamic Association in the USA, biodynamics is a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food and nutrition. It aims to renew the vitality of the soil, using advanced insights, including direction on how to work with planetary rhythms. This philosophy ensures the PEG Farm team works with the land in a sacred way.
Permaculture:
Who better than the Permaculture Research Institute to help us understand the concept of permaculture? This is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. The design is centred on following patterns and features observed in nature.
Free range animal husbandry:
This practice creates an environment for animals that replicates their natural habitat, instead of having them kept in a confined space.
What Makes PEG Farm’s Animal System Special?
Let’s start by looking at PEG Farm’s cows. They move to a new field every single day. They graze on lots of fresh grass and their manure helps to naturally fertilise the soil.
Flies lay eggs in the manure, which after a couple of days, turn into maggots. The free range chickens eat them, simultaneously spreading the cow manure. These chickens also move every day, following the cows. The chickens in turn produce manure, which helps fertilise the soil with different nutrients.
The pigs move every six to 12 days. Their manure adds different nutrients to the soil, and as they dig up seeds, the pigs’ noses and hoofs mix these seeds into the manure.
It’s easy to see why there’s no need to use chemical fertilisers.
Taste the Difference
Many people say they can actually taste the difference between organic and non-organic food. I am one of them. I have always been allergic to preservatives and because I am used to clean eating, I am now so sensitive to pesticide-ridden foods that I get bumps on my tongue in less than an hour after eating sprayed vegetables.
Chemical-based conventional farming may be easier than organic farming but thank goodness, as the OGCA motto says, there is “food you can trust from farmers that care”.
Where to Buy Local Organic Foods in Barbados
Holders Farmers Market:
Holders Farmers Market is a lively weekly event where you can find all manner of locally produced items. Yosia and Conrad Harrow are OGCA members who have a regular stall there.
Location: The grounds of Holder’s House, Holder’s Hill, St. James.
Every Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (vendors are usually there half hour before and after)
PEG Farm Shop:
Location: Easy Hall Plantation, St. Joseph
Open 7 days a week, usual hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (hours may vary at certain times of the year)
Tel: 433-9806 – call to find out the offerings for the day, place your order and confirm opening hours.
Email: pegbarbados@gmail.com
