Organic Farming in Sicily

Our last stop of the trip was Sicily, where we admired baroque architecture, biked through the hills, tried out the local food (like deep fried rice balls filled with meat, cheese, or tomato sauce), and enjoyed t-shirt weather for the first time since we got to Italy. One of the highlights of Sicily was visiting an organic citrus farm. Italy is a huge producer of citrus products, but most citrus farms produces oranges and lemons in ways that can be harmful to the environment and consumers. However, the farm we visited did several things to promote sustainability.

This farm believes in using organic farming methods. This means they grow their fruit without pesticides or chemical fertilizer. The oranges that don't meet their standards for selling are fed to their pigs, as shown in the picture above. The pigs eat the fruit and leave the peels on the ground. When the peels decompose, they become a natural fertilizer for the citrus trees. Additionally, this farm only sells their fruit to buyers within Europe. Shipping produce long distances consumes a lot of fuel and contributes to air pollution, so choosing to ship shorter distances has a smaller impact on the environment.

Most people assume that organic farming is more costly than conventional farming because organic produce costs more in grocery stores. However, the farmer we talked to at the farm told us this isn't necessarily the case. He argues that since his oranges and lemons don't require chemical fertilizer, pesticides, or a wax coating, he doesn't have to pay some of the production costs conventional farmers pay. I think more farmers should consider switching to organic produce to protect health of their consumers, diminish the impact on the environment, and maybe even increase their profits.