Visitors throng Sattvik-2011, explore organic food

V

Veena Annadana

Well-Known Member
Visitors throng Sattvik-2011, explore organic food
TNN Dec 17, 2011, 04.24AM IST
Tags:
Sattvik-2011|organic food|IIM-A|Friends
AHMEDABAD: It was a confluence of hundreds of traditional food lovers at the new campus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad ( IIM-A) on Friday at the annual traditional food festival called Sattvik-2011. Organized by city based NGO, Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI) the event just got bigger with more participants and visitors this year.

Shirin Patel, a businessman from the city who was checking out the varieties of traditional and organic food presented by the various participants in the festival said, "Not only the quality of urban life is degrading but the quality of food is also going down along with it. Traditional and organic food is essential to stay healthy."

Patel who is also an organic food enthusiast said, "There is a great requirement for awareness about organic food and this event makes a big contribution towards it. I make sure that my family consumes only organic food and I come here every year to check new varieties of food."

Among the visitors to the fair were also housewives who were looking for new recipes. Alka Shah who was visiting the fair with her family and friends said, "I come to the festival to explore new varieties of food that I have never seen or eaten before. It is a very nice opportunity to learn cooking in traditional ways, and also, new recipes."
 

Promotion of Organic Farming

Promotion of Organic Farming

Government has a National Policy on Organic Farming which seeks to promote technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable use of natural resources in favour of organic farming. The Government provides financial assistance for promotion of organic farming under various schemes for setting up of organic input production units, adoption and certification of organic farmers clusters under National Horticulture Mission and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

MP:SB:CP: organic (16.12.2011)
(Release ID :78848)

Source: Press Information Bureau English Releases
 

Agro-varsity VC meet starts in Jorhat

Agro-varsity VC meet starts in Jorhat
TNN Dec 14, 2011, 10.45AM IST

JORHAT: The two-day all India agriculture university vice chancellors' convention started on the Assam Agriculture University premises on Tuesday. Out of 47 Indian agriculture universities, VCs from 28 universities were present on the first day of the programme.

Governor J B Patnaik, who inaugurated the convention, said in the present scenario, the country should go for organic farming instead of using chemicals.

"70 per cent of our people are farmers. The state still has a long way to go in farming and cultivation. Only 27 per cent of crop land in the state has irrigation facilities. Our per capita income wont increase if we don't develop our farming techniques," he added.

"Therefore, we strongly need a revolution in the agricluture sector. The national water policy also needs to be changed," he said. The secretary general of Indian agriculture university association, R P Singh, said, "The government should introduce new methods to provide agro-education to the youth."

The vice chancellor of Central Agriculture University, Imphal, S N Puri, said, "There is shortage of qualified man power in the agriculture sector all over the country. Although thousands of agriculture-educated youths pass out from agricultural institutions in the country, the numbers are too small. Therefore, the government should set up more college and universities of agriculture."

Source: Agro-varsity VC meet starts in Jorhat - Times Of India
 

The Organic Center Releases Comprehensive Organic Shopper’s Pocket Guide

The Organic Center Releases Comprehensive Organic Shopper’s Pocket Guide

Boulder, Colo. (PRWEB) December 12, 2011

The Organic Center today announced the release of a comprehensive shopper’s guide, Organic Essentials, designed to help shoppers reduce their pesticide risk, eat foods that contain the most nutrients and avoid GMOs. The Organic Center is a leading research and education institute focused on the science of organic food and farming.

The pocket guide was developed using The Organic Center’s "Dietary Risk Index" (DRI), which calculates the dietary risks associated with pesticide residues found in different foods tested by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The rankings are determined after analyzing the frequency of pesticide residues on a given food, the average level of residues found and their toxicity. Pesticide residue data from the USDA and toxicity data from the Environmental Protection Agency are used in calculating the DRI.

While the pocket guide can be used year-round, it is even more important to utilize in the winter months when the majority of produce is imported from abroad. Based on The Organic Center’s 2008 report, "Simplifying the Pesticide Risk Equation: The Organic Option," imported produce can pose pesticide risks between two to three times higher than produce grown in the U.S.

“The pocket guide is meant to be a go-to resource for shoppers to more easily maximize their intake of health-promoting foods while minimizing their exposure to toxic synthetic pesticides and GMOs,” said Sara Snow, green lifestyle expert and board member of The Organic Center. “Such a resource is especially helpful during the holiday season when budgets are tight and consumers are looking for ways to determine what items to purchase organic. By using the guide as a resource, families can more easily stay within budget while still eating foods that are both good for their health and good for the planet.”

The following fruits and vegetables consistently rank the highest for pesticide residue and therefore should always be purchased organic:

Fruit:
1.Cranberries
2.Strawberries
3.Apples
4.Peaches
5.Pears
6.Cantaloupe
7.Tomatoes
8.Nectarines
9.Blueberries

Vegetables:
1. Green Beans
2. Sweet Bell Peppers
3. Kale
4. Sweet Potatoes
5. Collard Greens
6. Summer Squash
7. Potatoes
8. Spinach
9. Mushrooms

In addition to ranking the pesticide risk of a variety of fruits and vegetables, the pocket guide also provides other important organic facts and figures, including:

•The list of the top super foods with the highest nutrients per serving includes:

Fruits – Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Pumpkins, Mangoes, and Papayas
Vegetables – Kale, Collard Greens, Artichokes, Turnips, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Asparagus, and Avocadoes
•A list of conventional foods to avoid buying due to the likelihood that they are genetically modified or contain GMOs include: Corn, Canola, Soy Beans, Cotton, Hawaiian Papaya, Sugar Beets, Yellow Crookneck Squash, and Zucchini

Because little to no independent scientific research has been published about the long-term health and environmental effects of genetically modified foods, The Organic Center opposes their use in the U.S. This is consistent with 30-plus countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the European Union countries, each of whom has significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GE crops. Consumer support for this shift can also be seen through the newly formed Just Lable It campaign and the Right2Know March, which saw thousands of Americans march from New York City to Washington, D.C. to demand that all genetically modified foods in the U.S. be labeled.

To download the free Shopper’s Guide and start shopping better now, please visit The Organic Center’s website at Generations of Organic  |   Pocket Shopping Guide.

About The Organic Center
The Organic Center's unique mission is to conduct credible, evidence-based science on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming and to communicate them to the public. As an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and education organization, we envision improved health for the world and its people through organic production. All of The Organic Center's research reports, publications, consumer guides, and videos are available free at The Organic Center and Generations of Organic.

###

Read the full story at The Organic Center Releases Comprehensive Organic Shopper’s Pocket Guide

Source: The Organic Center Releases Comprehensive Organic Shopper’s Pocket Guide - Press Release - Digital Journal
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top