Organic farming expanding to meet high demand on all-natural food, address health risks

In a bid to address increasing cancer and kidney incidences as a result of exposure to chemical fertilizers, farmers in Sri Lanka have resorted to organic farming, using only compost fertilizers produced from homegrown herbs and other natural substances. An increase in cancer incidences and kidney diseases has been reported in Sri Lanka with specialists attributing the reason to chemical pesticides and fertilizers used in food production. To cope with the rising number of cancer and kidney patients, new hospitals have been established in Sri Lanka. With demand for organic food on the rise in Sri Lanka, farmers turned abandoned lands in the country’s capital Colombo into organic farms. To ensure sustainability for their businesses and thus meet the growing demand for organic food and also contribute to cancer-containment efforts, farmers called for the government’s support to help them overcome their challenges, including the high prices of natural fertilizers and other organic materials. Farmers also demanded that a concise supply mechanism for organic materials be put in place to ensure continuity of their businesses and, with the high demand for organic food in Sri Lanka, they also called for expanding the production of natural fertilizers in their country to the level of an established industry.