It is a given that farmhouses and farmlands suitable for organic farming are suddenly more in demand than ever before. And the reasons are for anyone to see. One of the main reasons that is driving the market for farmhouses and organic farming is the increased awareness among the health-conscious urban population about the carcinogens that ride on vegetables and fruits from modern farms, into our body. Today we are more aware of the health hazard pesticides and chemical fertilizers pose to us. Cancer is one of the most lethal diseases of all that they are known to cause.
ORGANIC FARMING – THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE METHOD OF FARMING
Organic farming is a method of farming in which food crops, poultry and livestock are produced without using pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farming is a holistic system that optimizes the productivity and preserves the life and health of communities within the agro-ecosystem including soil organisms, plants, livestock and people. It is a sustainable and original system that remains in harmony with the environment.
INORGANIC FARMING – HIGHLY FATAL METHOD OF FARMING
On the other hand, inorganic farming is a system of farming in which artificial fertilizers, pesticides, preservatives, irradiation, antibiotics, growth hormones and genetically modified organisms are extensively used in the production of food. In addition, many substances such as additives and preservatives that are added to foods to enhance colour, flavour and texture and prolong shelf life make inorganic food doubly lethal. Substances used in inorganic farming has been proven to cause many health conditions we suffer from today, including cancer. It not only harms us but also damages natural environments and all forms of life in nature.
WHAT ARE PESTICIDES?
Pesticides are substances that are used in farming to prevent, destroy, repel or reduce the severity of pests on the farm and its produce. Pests are living things in nature that cause damage to crops and animals. Pests are insects, mice, weeds, bacteria, viruses and different types of fungus.
CANCER – THE CAUSES AND THREATS
For the starters, what really is cancer? It is a condition in which cells in our body divide and multiply uncontrollably due to faulty genetic mutation. Generally, a group of over 100 different diseases are called cancer. It is seen to develop almost anywhere in the body.
CELLS AND CELL DIVISION
Human body is made up of cells that grow and divide to make new cells as the body needs them. Cells die when they get old or get damaged. They, then, are replaced with new cells that the genes in the old cells create. Cancer is a condition when changes in the genes impede cell division and replacement in our body. This triggers the cells to grow uncontrollably and form into a mass termed tumour.
GENE MUTATIONS WITHIN CELLS
It is genes in the cells that tell the cells to grow and reproduce in an orderly and controlled way. Sometimes genes get damaged when the cell divides. This is termed mutation. Mutations happen when a cell is dividing. Some mutations are such that the cell no longer understands the instructions from genes and starts to grow out of control. A cell starts producing too many proteins that trigger a cell to divide. At other times it stops producing proteins that tell a cell to stop dividing. Both of the above mutations in genes lead to cancer.
Mutations happen when the cells divide. They are caused either by the processes of life inside the cell or by things that come into the body from outside such as chemicals and toxins.
HOW CANCER SPREADS IN YOUR BODY?
Cancerous cells get into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and reach other parts of the body such as bones, liver, lungs, neck, groin area, armpits and brain.
IN SUM
“Eating organics can reduce your risk of ingesting commercially produced pesticides and chemicals”, says Clare McKindley, a leading Cancer specialist. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without using synthetic chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming is the original eco-friendly farming system that mankind has been following since time immemorial. It is high time we return to organic farming in the interest of our personal health, that of our family, the environment and the planet, in general. Each one of us can chip in to make it a reality. Prakruthi Farms in Hosur, is one such great initiative. You can own an organic farm and build a farm house too in this enclave.
