1. Protect Future Generations
The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food.
2. Prevent Soil Erosion
Soil is eroding seven times faster than it is being built up naturally on U.S. croplands. Organic farming produces
rich, healthy soil that is the foundation of the food chain.
3. Protect Water Quality
The EPA estimates pesticides contaminate the groundwater in 38 states, polluting the primary source of
drinking water for more than half the population.
4. Save Energy
Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, and more energy is used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to cultivate and harvest crops.
5. Keep Chemicals off Your Plate
Many pesticides were approved before research linked them to cancer and other diseases.
6. Protect Farm Workers
A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had a six times greater risk than nonfarmers of contracting cancer.
7. Help Small Framers
Most organic farms are small, independently owned family farms of less than 100 acres.
8. Support a True Economy
Conventional food prices do not reflect hidden costs born by taxpayers, including federal subsidies, regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and cleanup, and environmental damage.
9. Promote Biodiversity
Mono-cropping reduces diversity of plant life and strips the soil of minerals and nutrients, increasing the need for
chemical fertilizers
10. Taste Better Flavor
More and more chefs are using organic food in their recipes, because organics taste better!
Information provided by Ocean Beach People's Market. Visit www.obpeoplesfood.coop