AHEAD of the Farm to Table organic dining experience it is planning for November 8, Mount Plenty Organics is seeking to get more Jamaicans keyed in to the value of growing and consuming organic foods.

Mount Plenty is the name of the farm in St Ann which artist Laura Facey-Cooper and her husband call home. Facey Cooper shot to local notoriety in 2003 with her highly controversial Redemption Song, an 11-foot sculpture of a naked man and woman in a fountain that graces the entrance of Emancipation Park in New Kingston.

A subsequent piece — Body and Blood of Christ, a 10-foot-high styrofoam sculpture of a nude male torso — elicited comments about the artist’s apparent lack of reverence in the representation of the Christian deity, and her apparent fixation with nakedness.

The criticisms do little to dull Facey-Cooper’s passion and perspective for her craft. She has a similar approach to organic farming and will be blending art and food for charity at the Farm to Table event. It will be in conjunction with the Pan-Jam Foundation’s 50th anniversary celebrations and promises delicious local fare, art, and entertainment, while raising funds to build a model school at Boys’ Town Infant and Primary.

The first documented practice of organic farming was in Europe in the 1920s. Then, it was used primarily to mitigate soil erosion and the depletion of nutrients caused by the recurrent over-farming and mono-cropping agricultural practices of the time. In Jamaica, farming without pesticides or fertilisers has been widely practised among the general population and among the Rastafarian population in particular, for years. Recently, a sprinkling of new farms, guided by the Jamaica Organic Agricultural Movement (JOAM), has sprung up.

Facey-Cooper points out that while the use of the term “organic farming” is relatively new, the practice has been alive in Jamaica for decades.

“Our foreparents knew the basic tenets of natural farming, prior to the advent of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and harmful chemicals,” Facey-Cooper says.

“Organic farming techniques improve soil fertility and eliminate the need for harsh chemicals, helping us to make the Earth a better place for our children and grandchildren. By contrast, conventional farming practices are known to contaminate our water table, possibly causing health risks because of the use of hazardous pesticides, and contribute to losing much of our top soil,” she adds.

True, it can be labour intensive since it will require techniques such as:

* Companion planting — growing flowers alongside food crops to attract pollinating insects;

* Composting — breaking down organic waste into nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth, restores vitality to depleted soil, and offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilisers.

There is constant debate about which method is better, organic or conventional, but the benefits to be derived range from physical health to financial savings, to bigger crop yields.

Organic farms are not as affected by extreme weather events such as droughts and floods because of the increased organic matter in the soil content due to the use of mandatory soil and water management strategies. They also use less energy to produce the same yields as conventional farms.

Jamaicans, like others around the globe, apppear to have been taking note. Recent statistics which show that Jamaica’s food import bill declined by US$43.6 million in 2014 — the largest decline since 2009 — suggest that the pouplation is increasingly moving towards organic foods and is eating more locally grown produce.

Agriculture contributes over six per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“The organic market has great potential; not only for improved health benefits for our people and island, but also promises financial gains for small farmers and for our economy if we continue to work towards producing more and importing less,” says Facey-Cooper.

Mount Plenty Organics supplies fresh vegetables and herbs to hotels, homes and a few restaurants across the island. It is working, with the help of volunteers, JOAM, Source Farm and Eco Village, ZionItes Farm (home of Stush in the Bush) and others, to achieve organic certification.