Interview with Organic farmer Rob Symons

Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Rob Symons, who is an organic farmer. He owns and grows crops on the certified organic Broadleaze Farm that is situated in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.Certified Organic Farm in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Read on to find out what organic farming is the difference between organic and conventional, and why everyone needs to make a crucial choice between the two

 Plus: tips on how to grow your own organic crops no matter whether you have a garden or not! *(Be sure to check out the beautiful pictures courtesy of Rob Symons taken on his farm, if you do not have time to read the interview straight off.) 

 Great Health Naturally: Hi Rob, and welcome to the Great Health Naturally International – Nutrition and Wellness Consultants blog. On the blog, which is an extension of our consulting company, we like to offer information on the latest health trends worldwide. One of these that is a hot topic at the moment is definitely organic farming.

 Q-Great Health Naturally:  Please can you inform us what organically grown produce is, and what is the difference between organic farming and conventional farming?

 A-Rob Symons: Hi Amy, with pleasure. The key differences with conventional farming, or as I prefer to call it, industrial farming are as follows. The first difference is that industrial agriculture seeks to dominate nature whilst organic ag works in harmony with nature. Industrial ag has the aim of feeding the plant not the soil thus seeking to replace the natural soil ecosystem with an artificial nutrient source. Organic farming has the aim of feeding the soil not the plant. Healthy soil has the ability to feed plants and to regenerate fertility lost to crops.

Another key difference between the two is that organic ag seeks to enhance diversity as opposed to specialisation preferred by industrial ag. Organic ag does not use biocidal toxins as this reduces biodiversity and compromises health. Organic agriculture is sustainable and healthy for humans and the environment. I could make an extensive list of the differences between organic and industrial agriculture but I think my first point says it all. Domination or Harmony? I think you can guess which is the healthiest option.

 GHN: What made you decide to get into organic farming and not conventional (the latter is the most common type here in South Africa)?

 RS: It was a natural decision for me to farm organically as it fitted with my environmental philosophy. I also have a deep love for the land on which I live and I feel that only activities that will enhance and improve the soil quality and increase the biodiversity should be practised. Conventional farming does neither but rather depletes the soil and biodiversity.

GHN: What do you grow on Broadleaze farm? And how do you go about growing it?

 RS: Our main crops at present are herbs and lettuce. We are starting to grow other vegetables such as carrots, beans, onions, marrows and tomatoes among others. I would also like to try perennial crops such as olives, blueberries and avocados but this would require some time to establish. We also need to increase our animal component on the farm. Animals are necessary to the maintenance of the soil and for the control of pests. We use their manure for our compost making. Our crops are grown in soil that is fed by compost and certain natural rock minerals. We also use amendments derived from seaweed to introduce certain micro-nutrients that might be missing in our soils. We also grow our crops by inter-cropping and rotation. Inter-cropping means that different crops are grown together in a field instead of a single mono-crop. This gives a good defence against pests and makes use of the principle of companion planting. Rotation means that plants are not consistently planted in the same place but are rather moved around in subsequent plantings. This prevents the build up of parasites and makes use of various root exudates to condition the soil. Different crops also feed differently so rotation balances out the use of the soil.

 GHN: We are finding in supermarkets we can get pretty much any crop all year round – why is this? And should we be sticking to eating foods that are in season only?

 RS: The reason the supermarkets can stock everything all year round is due to one major factor, fossil fuels. There is an extensive logistical network that ships in produce from all over the country and all over the planet. This obviously consumes large amounts of oil with all the attendant negative environmental impacts such as pollution and excess carbon emissions. Crops that are grown out of season require more pesticides and fertilisers in order to overcome the extra stress caused by unfavourable growing conditions. Some crops have to be grown under protection which means lots of plastic derived from oil and the tunnels need to be heated which uses yet more energy. 

From a human health point of view crops grown out of season have a much higher pesticide and fungicide load and do not have the same nutritional content as crops grown in season.  Because of the distance produce has to be transported freshness has to be compromised and artificial methods of preservation have to be employed such as refrigeration and altered atmospheres in packaging.

GHN: I recently became aware that certain plastic food wrappers are pre sprayed with chemicals – so this prompted me to ask you can any type of packaging be used to wrap organic produce that is going to be sold on the supermarket shelves?

 RS: Packaging is a sore issue with me. I would prefer no packaging at all but without it I would not be able to sustain a business. Unfortunately our consumer culture has indoctrinated us to prefer produce that is visually attractive and conveniently packaged. At present we use polypropylene film packaging which is commonly used for most fresh produce packaging. This is the safest form of packaging. The worst are the punnets with polyethylene cling-wrap coverings. This cling-wrap contains softeners which mimic oestrogen. Keep in mind that plastic is a chemical but from a health point of view it is the additives that pose the most risk.

I have experimented with so called compost-able bags made from corn starch. Unfortunately they are at least five times the price of polypropylene and do not have anti-mist properties. When we trialled them on the shop shelves we did not sell one compared to the oppositions conventional packs. It was obvious that visual appeal was most important in consumers’ minds. Price is also critical. Vegetables for instance are relatively low cost products and the price of compostable packaging can take up a large slice of the retail price.

It would be ideal if everyone shopped for their fresh produce at a farmers market and purchased it without any packaging. However I have found that when I sold carrots in bunches and in packets, the packaged carrots far outsold the bunches.

GHN: The biggest thing I am seeing is people do not want to buy organic because they see it as more expensive, and there are not enough studies proving that organically farmed crops have higher levels of nutrients than conventional – but what about the often deadly chemical pesticides being used on conventionally grown crops – do you feel they over rule both these points AGAINST buying organic?

 RS: Organic produce should be more expensive as it is more labour intensive to grow and because organic farms are normally much smaller than conventional farms and don’t have the advantage of larger economies of scale. However because of price discrimination from consumer’s organic farmers often have to keep their prices within the same ball park as conventional. This can make it difficult to keep an organic farm financially viable. What most people don’t realise is that conventional farms externalise their costs to the environment and to the consumers. That cheaper produce has been produced with pesticides that are detrimental to the health of the consumer. That alone can make it a far more expensive option. A recent study has found a direct correlation between pesticide exposure to children and their mental development. Is that worth the lower price? The cost to the environment is high too. If you wish to be green don’t buy conventional.

The number of studies showing the nutritional superiority of most organic produce is growing. Taste is another dimension in which organic is largely superior. I have written in a previous article that the rider to the superiority of organic produce is this. The quality of produce grown by a good conventional farmer can be better than that grown by a bad organic farmer.

The certification standards used in South Africa are based on the EU standards. These are much stricter than the American USDA organic standards. We get inspected every year and the inspectors are thorough.

Also, get to know your farmer. Visit her farm and see how things are done. Most organic farmers will welcome this contact. The label should also show contact details.

GHN: What percentage of South African produce is organic? And have you seen a change in attitude towards organic in the recent years here?

RS: I am not sure of the exact figure, but it is very small. However there has been a definite upwards trend towards organic. A greater number of more educated people are starting to realise the health benefits of eating organic. There is also a growing segment of the population who are environmentally aware and see organic farming as one of the answers to the problems we are facing. The biggest limiting factor is one of supply. There are simply not enough organic farmers. There needs to be a radical paradigm shift in agricultural practice in this country. More support has to be given to small scale, sustainable farms as this is the best model for organic farming. This support has to come from either government or the private sector or both. At present there is little support from either.

GHN: What are your thoughts on the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms found in food crops and how does this affect the future of organic farming?

RS: There are two safety aspects here. One is the effect of GMO’s on human health and the other is the effect of GMO’s on biodiversity and the environment. There is research that has indicated negative health effects on humans. However most of the research has been on animals, although it is fairly obvious that these negative effects are highly likely to be experienced by humans. From a farming point of view the effects on biodiversity are serious. Pollen from GMO crops can contaminate conventional crops thus transferring their genetic coding. This can seriously affect crop diversity which is essential for organic farming. The genetic coding of GMO’s is patented and allows a few biotech giants such as Monsanto to control seed production and basically control what farmer’s plant. There are other unintended consequences to the environment such as the effect on beneficial species such as insects and bacteria.

GHN:  Are GMO foods allowed in organically grown produce?

GHN: Does using chemicals on conventional crops damage the soil these crops are grown in? And why is the health of the soil on our planet so important?

RS: Yes it does. For convenience sake I will place agricultural chemicals into two classes, biocides and fertilisers. Biocides include all pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and other toxins used to control pests, diseases and weeds. A healthy soil is one of the most abundant and diverse ecosystems on earth. It has a healthy balance of all types of life from bacteria, fungi, algae, worms and insects. Any of the above toxins will have a severe impact on soil life. Industrial fertilisers are applied according to the maxim of conventional agriculture, “feed the plant not the soil”. Soil has been regarded mainly as a medium to hold the plant roots and not as a source of plant food. Large quantities of artificial fertilisers have been applied and have as a result poisoned the soil. There are farms in Natal that used to be highly productive but now have dead soils.The soil can be regarded as our planets living skin. Sir Albert Howard, one of the founders of organic farming showed that healthy soil resulted in healthy plants and animals, and that means healthy humans too. Soil is also a significant carbon sink and building healthy soil can be an effective way to capture carbon.

GHN: Have there been many examples of toxic poisoning from chemical agriculture and industry in South Africa that you may know about?

RS: I do not know of any single catastrophic instances. However it is the low level cumulative poisoning that concerns me. There has been a recent paper showing a correlation between cumulative exposure to agricultural pesticides in children and impaired mental development. There is also the poisoning of our water by fertilisers and acid contamination of water by the mines. Gauteng and Free State provinces have major problems in this regard.

GHN: Could you offer our readers some tips on how to grow their own organic fresh produce no matter if they own a garden or not?

RS: Grow in real soil if possible. Make lots of compost. Try to avoid using “products” even if they claim to be organic. The real joy of growing your own organic produce comes from creating a truly sustainable ecosystem that provides health and good taste without relying on expensive inputs. However some may be forced to grow in containers.  If this is the case use a potting mix made with composted bark, compost and some soil. Sand can be added to increase drainage. Use terracotta pots or anything else made from natural materials. Stay clear of CCA treated wood.

GHN: Where can we purchase Broadleaze Farm Organic Fresh Produce from?

RS: My website www.broadleaze.co.za has a page detailing where our produce is sold.

Thank you Rob Symons for letting Great Health Naturally interview you and for informing our readers about the (clearly huge) health benefits of eating certified organic produce!