Care for nutrition? Think natural, think organic

Organic food is still losing out to conventional produce in supermarkets. Farmers and activists are taking it upon themselves to change that by providing alternative venues for shopping. They are reaching out to the food-ignorant, hoping to make them see nutrition in a whole new way through workshops and melas.

“There is not enough knowledge about food nutrition. The way we look at food has to change for people to take to organic products. We have to learn to respect the body’s intelligence,” says A Santhilakshmy of Bhoomi Network, a Bangalore-based NGO, which is organising the Bhoomi Utsav this Sunday. This is the first such mela by the Network and is part of its efforts to talk about ‘conscious nutrition’.

Independent farmers, who have taken it up as a not-for-profit project, are all coming together to spread the word. It’s not easy doing that. Operating in an environment flooded with processed food that scores on price, if not on nutrition and taste, these entrepreneurs are making inroads at a slow pace. Problems in the supply chain continue to dog the business, says HR Jayaram, an organic farmer and activist who has been at it for five years.

“The market is tough. There are multiple issues. Often, the products are not available regularly and if they are, there aren’t enough buyers,” he says. Fresh produce going waste has to be dealt with once in a while, he says. Growth in the buyers’ numbers will turn things around, he adds.

Negatives such as these notwithstanding, small growers are venturing in, hoping to do their bit. Malini Ranganathan bought 3.5 acres of land to farm and sells the produce to locals in her neighbourhood. She manages to get about 45-50 kilos every 10 or 15 days. She has seen awareness grow.

“People know that it is good, that it is better to give children organic food. Most people are aware of its many benefits,” she says. Ranganathan will be participating in the Utsav with the many vegetables from her own garden and farm, she will also be supplementing it with vegetables from other farmers who have gone organic.

There will also be breads and bakes, honey from the Himalayas, from the Malnad region, from the Western Ghats. Even Kashmiri chillies, garlic, pulses, cereals, dry fruits and a whole lot more procured from producers around the country.

Now, one cannot complain about not having enough choice. Soon, people won’t be complaining about price either, says Aparna Kumar who runs Adinaturals with Girish Krishnamurthy and Vidya Sadanand. “Cost is usually high because organic is still not mainstream. People are yet to understand the importance of good food in their lives,” she says.

Cost for some products is even lesser or same as the regular ones. However, cost will just become a minor detail as people take to the taste and nutrition of pesticide-free food. Why, they have gone from selling on the footpaths to carts, to taking orders online.

They now deliver to addresses all over the city. Yet, their venture is not a profit-making one, but a voluntary service to the many members who add to the pool of products, she says.

At the Utsav, visitors can also look forward to discussions on green living, folk music and dance, craft.