Chapter 3 - 1

Chapter 3

Making Connections

01 Global Issues

Now listen to a lecture related to the topic in step 1. Fill in the blanks of the new diagram below.

M: Nowadays, everywhere you look, you can find organic food. It’s become very popular in recent years and more and more people are switching to organic produce.

However, I think that people have a lot of misconceptions about organic food. The truth is, organic food isn’t really that great after all.

To start with, organic food is supposed to be really wonderful for health because it doesn’t expose people to artificial chemicals.

That doesn’t mean they don’t use natural chemicals. In fact, many organic farmers use a pesticide called rotenone.

It comes from plants, which is why it’s classified as a natural chemical rather than artificial.

And let me tell you, the effects of this chemical, as far as I can tell, are just as bad as any artificial pesticide.

According to reports, it’s highly toxic to humans and has even been linked to Parkinson’s disease.

Organic farmers should be a lot more forthcoming about this information, as it could seriously affect the buying public.

Next, let’s talk about the effects of organic farming on the environment. Research shows that organic farms produce twenty percent less food than conventional farms, so organic farmers have to prepare a lot more land in order to produce the same amount of food.

So, basically, what a lot of them do is go out and cut down forests, which leaves us with a completely different environmental problem.

Deforestation can lead to decreased biodiversity because it takes away the homes of animals, as well as erosion.

I think it’s good to cut down the number of chemicals we put into the ground, but we can’t just ignore the other environmental ills that organic farming brings about.

Lastly, I think it’s very misleading to say that buying organic food helps out small-time farmers.

Let’s be honest now: since organic foods became so popular, all of the big corporations are trying to produce organic as well.

In fact, since 1982, most of the small organic farms have been bought by huge companies.

Why don’t we see big name brands on organic foods then? Because they sell the food through their sister companies.

The next time you buy organic, take a look at the label. Chances are, it didn’t come from a small farm at all.

I imagine that in the future, we will continue to see more organic products popping up in our local supermarkets.

However, when it comes to this issue, I think it’s worth considering all of the facts: organic farming is undoubtedly less beneficial than supporters of the movement make it seem.