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History of Organic FoodHistory of organic food is pretty short since most food was organic by definition before the 20th century. Pesticides and herbicides hadn’t been invented yet so there was no need to form a definition of organic food. The rise of industrial farming in the early 20th century is what eventually led to the development of organic farming later in that same century.
Before industrial farming took over, farmers used natural means to fertilize their crops and fight pests. Cows and chickens were allowed to graze on grass and eat grains that hadn’t been contaminated with chemicals and so they were healthy and reproduced naturally. When chemicals were introduced to conventional farming practices, it was a way to use science to improve output on a farm. But no one realized that long term use of man made chemicals could also cause problems for the environment and for someone’s health. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, organic food was “invented” after the publication of a book by Rachel Carson called “Silent Spring”. In that book, she revealed how the use of agricultural chemicals and pesticides were affecting the environment. People realized the benefits of organic food on people’s health soon afterwards. People started going “back to the basics” with organic farming techniques in their own backyards in the 1970’s. Then in the 1980’s, many farms that were going bankrupt discovered that they could produce crops without chemicals and actually charge a premium for the product because people wanted the health benefits of chemical free produce. Studies began to emerge showing that organic food was better for the environment and for good health. In the 1990’s, it was evident that the growing organic food market needed regulation in order to protect the consumer. Every state had different standards and consumers had no idea how to make an informed decision on buying organic food.
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