The organic lifestyle takes on many different forms in various parts of the world. In a third world country – like South Africa – is this lifestyle effective or is it only the introduction to a possible sustainable solution?
Produce grown, sold or used – that is completely free of insecticides, pesticides and growth hormones – could be classified as organic. This is according to Stephen du Bruyn, the executive chef of Stellenbosch Kitchen. “Be it the product itself, or the soil,” he says. “It’s the attempt of living stripped down to the natural base.”
The movement of living organically, according to Donna van Zyl, a dietician at Medi-Clinic Bloemfontein, started in the early 20th century. It was built upon the acknowledgement of a need to push back into natural sources, specifically in the soil. “It is the way we used to farm before we needed to produce for such a large capacity,” Du Bruyn says. “There was a thing like subsistence farmers, but that decreased – because we needed to keep up with the demand,” he says.
Stephen du Bruyn is the executive chef of Stellenbosch Kitchen. Du Bruyn says that for a restaurant – specifically in South Africa – to buy and sell organic products will push their price range up quite considerably. “South Africans are eaters, we like big portions. It is different for other countries,” Du Bruyn says. PHOTO: Lezanne Steenkamp
To live an organic lifestyle is to live natural and ecological. Organic food and products are produced without the application of artificial fertilisers, chemicals or pesticides, Van Zyl explains. Organic products have a lower residue of the above-mentioned chemicals; in comparison to non-organic products. “In living organically, you cancel the presence of these chemicals out of your daily products’ produce, and out of your intake in food,” she says.
Today, the organic lifestyle takes many different forms in various parts of the world. “It is a lot more popular in some parts, than in others. The movement is, for instance, a lot bigger in European and other international countries,” Du Bruyn says.
It is important to acknowledge that the food sector from each country varies, according to the country’s need, availability and productivity. “In South Africa, we are more set on feeding the masses, than complying to the standards of an organic lifestyle,” Du Bruyn says.
“It’s not necessarily a deliberate choice; as a third world country we simply can’t afford it,” he says.
Cost-effectiveness
The pricing of organic food is more than its counterparts. “This is due to farmers having to pay closer attention to their cultivation practices,” Van Zyl says. Alternative ways have to be used to subside pesticides – diseases and pest-control have to be controlled by more physical, or other biological, methods, she explains.
“To produce organic products cost a lot more than the conventional methods,” says Christian Malan, co-founder of Rooted – a Stellenbosch-based, home delivery food business. “[Society] does not try to understand the science behind words like ‘pesticides’. Therefore, because we are told to, we believe it to be threatening,” Malan says.
This concept, according to Malan, plays a role in the individual’s ignorance and it encourages fear, as a marketing scheme to sell what is needed to be sold.
Organic farming also needs more land to produce fewer products, Malan says. “The farming practices are more expensive and the producer requires a higher price to be able to sustain this way of farming and his/her own livelihood.”
Nozizwe Magwa, a chef at Stellenbosch Kitchen, cuts red peppers in Stellenbosch Kitchen. Stellenbosch Kitchen is not driven by an organic lifestyle, due to cost-effectiveness and the availability of products. PHOTO: Lezanne Steenkamp
One of the biggest focus points of the South African food industry is to be cost-effective. According to Malan, even though an organic lifestyle has its benefits, it has to first meet the need of the South African food sector – to feed the masses.
“It is our farmers’ top priority – to produce more food and at a faster pace. This is due to cost-effectiveness, but also due to an increasing population in a third world country,” Du Bruyn says.
According to Dr Hendrik Smith, a facilitator at Conservation Agriculture, there are multiple factors that play a role in the complexity of organic farming practices.
“Firstly, knowledge surrounding the principles of organic farming practices, and how they function, need to be considered. Secondly, the certification process – it is a very complex and challenging process,” Smith says.
Masithembe Delani, a chef at Stellenbosch Kitchen, is peeling papayas in Stellenbosch Kitchen. “The colouring of your fruits and vegetables are notably different when it is organic. Your tomatoes, for instance, are red, flush and plush. Carrots will be a deep orange colour,” Du Bruyn, executive chef of Stellenbosch Kitchen, says. PHOTO: Lezanne Steenkamp
Organic farming practices have an impact on the output, as well as the profitability of these practices. Smith argues that the perception of feeding the masses – which drives the industrial agricultural model – does not necessarily allow space for the concept of organic farming practices.
“These practices are expensive and limit profitability,” he says.
The organic lifestyle should, however, not be an option. It should be the default setting. This is according to Pierre Marqua, the marketing and sales manager of WurmBosch Organic Soil Solutions – an organic compost producer in Stellenbosch. “I don’t believe that people should pay more for something that is organic, just because it is organic,” Marqua says.
Marqua also questions the sustainability of imported products that are labeled organic. “If it is organics from the other side of the planet, how sustainable is that?” Marqua asks.
The healthier option: the individual and the environment
The nutrients of non-organic food are not necessarily less than that of organic food. Van Zyl argues that nutrients – including the vitamins, carbohydrates, fat and proteins – that are received from non-organic food are the same as organic food.
“However, we need to be concerned about the residue that is found on these fruits and vegetables. It has the potential to affect one’s health,” she says. The minimal intake, per portion, is too little to support enough data to emphasise a claimed big effect on an individual’s health, but these chemicals are evidently present on the surface of food. “That is why you need to rinse your fruits and vegetables before you use them,” she says.
“I personally believe [organic food] to have more nutrients and especially flavour,” Du Bruyn says. “It’s because these qualities are not masked by chemicals. You can taste the difference.”
According to Van Zyl, there is also a misconception on the impact of organic food on the environment. “All farmers have to adhere to certain standards to minimise pollution in water, air and soil. The production of non-organic food and products are, therefore, not necessarily better for the environment,” she says.
Carmen Möller, founder and owner of Eten Health Bar in Stellenbosch, regards it to be essential to move away from heavily processed foods and drinks. “Ideally we would want to live an ‘eco-friendly’-life, as far as possible. However, it can become hard,” she says.
Eten Health Bar is located in De Wet Square, in Stellenbosch. “Health will always have a place in society and also in Stellenbosch,” Carmen Möller, founder and owner, says. According to Möller, the shop aims to advocate for healthier living in a way that is sustainable. PHOTO: Supplied/Facebook
Van Zyl agrees that the organic movement has created an important sense of curiosity, by encouraging critical thoughts on where food comes from, how it is produced and the impact it has on the environment.
Du Bruyn emphasises the importance of giving back to Earth, for that which is regularly taken from it. “It will be more beneficial to live/farm organically because all your herbicides and pesticides will be naturally made – it will be made from what Earth has given you,” he says.
Marqua agrees. “Invest into the soil you get [your food] from,” he says. He argues that it will only improve your quality of life. “Everyone should grow their own food, be sustainable – even if it’s just some herbs on the window sill,” Marqua says.
Supporting sustainability
Sustainability is the solution, rather than organic living. This is according to Malan. “[Sustainability] is an all-encompassing definition, it requires that you look at all aspects – such as the economy, the impact on society and the ecological system; over a specific time period,” he says. “Not only acknowledging one aspect, in one instance.”
Du Bruyn and Malan emphasises the importance of education on these topics. “An organic lifestyle is sustainable for the individual. We should host workshops in rural areas, allowing people access to basic skills of natural farming,” Du Bruyn says. He believes this to be a step in the right direction.
“We live in a time of free-thinkers. I believe it to be more realistic in acknowledging the organic lifestyle as a solution for the individual, not the population in its entirety,” Du Bruyn says.
Marqua believes that the solution is to invest in the communities around you. “Buy local, use local – invest in the community surrounding you,” he says.
Buy local, use local – invest in the community surrounding you.
Dirk Coetzee, a beekeeper from Durbanville – who sells his ‘100% pure raw honey’ at the Stellenbosch Slow Market every Saturday, believes that this investment is crucial. “We need to change our purchase patterns. Don’t buy products from a shop that is available for purchase directly from a farmer in your community – support your farmers,” he says.
According to Coetzee, even though the organic movement is not necessarily susceptible to a third world country, like South Africa, it encourages important conversations – such as sustainability, and the importance of investing in your community.
“In doing so, we invest in local farmers, indirectly in South Africa’s food sector and in our own futures,” he says.
Dirk Coetzee, a beekeeper from Durbanville, sells his ‘100% pure raw honey’ at Stellenbosch Slow Market, on Saturdays. Coetzee says that 80% of the honey that is sold at bigger outlets is imported. PHOTO: Lezanne Steenkamp