While many people consider the term organic a modern day fad, it is actually the most traditional and natural method of growing food — the way our forefathers raised crops and bred their cattle. The switch from animal manure and compost to chemical fertilisers, use of chemical pesticides and genetically modified seeds instead of native seeds and processed products ridden with preservatives has diminished the nutritious value of food.

Going back to the old methods may be difficult for the more industrialised nations, but being an agrarian country, it is not as difficult for us to revert to the traditional ways. Samiya Mumtaz, the woman behind Dali Foods, started practising this type of farming 20 years back, at a time when people believed it was more important for a farmer to be growing crops that gave high yields, even if they produced substandard, nutritionally deficient and sometimes harmful foods. Now she has her own farm with a mix of poultry, dairy, grain, fodder crops, vegetables, fruit and desi (native) varieties of trees and attitudes are slowly changing.

“There is greater appreciation across the board for this kind of farming, and I am often told that I am doing a ‘great service to humanity’ by keeping this traditional farming practice alive,” Mumtaz says.

“Going organic is not enough,” Mumtaz believes. “This is beneficial only if the organic produce is coming from a nearby/local mixed farm, which actively works at improving the soil quality and replenishing soil nutrients, and if the produce is being consumed whole (rather than processed).”

Ideally, produce from local farms would be consumed within a small radius, with each locality being provided with its own small farms. In this way food would not need to be transported long distances, so contribution to environmental pollution would be markedly lower. No toxic addition is being made to the air, water or earth at or around the farm. This ensures that there is no damage to the local ecology and native flora and fauna will thrive.

Organic foods are often more expensive than their non-organic counterparts and hence, not available to the masses. The most viable way to switch to organic food, according to Mumtaz is that people should grow their own food as far as possible and more importantly, try to pressurise governments to ban dangerous pesticides, additives and chemicals as far as possible.

Voluntary efforts are emerging as result of the growing realisation that toxically grown foods lead to chronic (and often terminal) diseases. One such account is of Ahsanul Haq, a businessman by profession, who has been growing a lot of vegetables, herbs and fruits in his house. The vegetables include bitter melon, spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, egg plant, broccoli, bottle gourd, radish, fenugreek leaves, fennel, turnip, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and parsley, mint, coriander, sage, thyme and basil in herbs.

He believes that everyone can do this as long as they have ample space and some know-how of this type of gardening. “By ample space I don’t mean you need acres but basically you need to use the space you have efficiently. It is important that you know which vegetable or fruit requires how much space and plant according to that. Just get some basic knowledge and all else you’ll learn from experience,” he elaborates.

Bilquis Kauser, a housewife, who is struggling in her switching phase says, “Organic vegetables and fruits are not easily available in the market. But the situation is a lot better than before with increasing awareness and a growing breed of organic gardeners who offer their surplus. I grow tomatoes in pots and have a small kitchen garden but it is not sufficient.

However, every little counts”.

What you may not know is that organic does not just apply to what you eat but also a lot of other things. Organic skin-care is also becoming more and more popular due to increasing consciousness regarding the environment as well as an understanding that this is better for our skins.

“It’s appalling that we are less inclined to use natural beauty products considering that we live in the subcontinent where natural beauty products were born,” says Asmaa Mumtaz, who has revolutionised the concept of beauty in Pakistan by providing the first complete organic skincare salon. “I think it has to do with this crazy obsession we have with whitening our skin and therefore going for chemical based products that promise quick results,” she adds.

She is a believer in embracing your skin tone and helping it look its best by feeding it with all the good stuff that is natural and promises long term results. So, after much research, trial and error, she launched organic skincare at her salon called The Dresser.

“The secret to organic skincare is that products must be fresh. Also, one can’t ensure anything is absolutely organic unless one grows it oneself. I have a large space at The Dresser which allows me to grow a variety of ingredients, and it works out beautifully,” she explains.

“We are organic beings, so it makes sense to pump ourselves with good organic products. The results are great skin in the long term. It’s a way of life, not something one can do once in a while. In a few months, one can see the skin change and become healthier and happier.”