One 16-year-old girl, who was labeled as a person with autism by people who proclaimed themselves to be normal. That makes her looks totally different from others. Of course, to me, the girl looks completely different because this Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg delivered the opening speech at the United Nations Conference on Global Climate Change, saying how dare the world leaders and many adults rely their future on young people. This is a speech that draws people's feelings so much.
Not only environmental matters that we should be aware of, but everything related to nature is a duty and a common responsibility to everyone. Because of how many hundreds and thousands of years we've been exploiting nature at its free cost that now everything has started to change from air to land to water. Finally, humans like us find a shortcut to natural remedies with chemicals. The important question is, are we healing it correctly?
Cancer is the world's public health problem that causes death. Approximately 13% of all deaths each year, which counts more than 6 million people. In 1994, there were more than 18 million cancer patients and 9 million new patients every year. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2020, more than 11 million people will die from cancer worldwide and will occur in more than 7 million developing countries due to many factors related to cancer occurrence. Common cancer in each country is different due to their diverse infectious diseases, radiation, chemicals, food consumption behaviors, genetic features, lifestyle and different environments. But let’s think that if we can remove at least one of these factors, they why not?
The easiest variable that we control today is how we choose to eat. Do not forget that we have to eat every day. And have we ever looked back on what we have chosen to affect the world from our eating? Let me give you an economic example easily of eating basil chicken with fried egg. The food that Thai people tend to say is a desperate choice. But for us, basil rice is more than that. It is also reflective of the minds of the people who are dying.
The basil rice, chicken, fried egg, at present, the price is 40 baht per dish. On average, the cost of raw materials is 30%. Yes, the actual cost is 12 baht, divided into 4-baht egg. The other 8 baht is on pork, garlic, chili and basil. The average price is 2 baht per type. If the it’s more than that, it means restaurants must use very cheap rice. Let me just walk you though an example of rice.
Where do cheap rice come from? Normally, if a farmer grows 1 rai of rice with 100% of the product which is equal to 500 kilograms. However, in case of the organic planting, the product will be just 40% (approximately), that is 200 kilograms. Therefore, if the farmers want to grow rice without losing at all in order to get 100% product, that means there must not be insects to ruin their rice at all. It means that they will have to spray pesticide in order to protect their rice. Even if the pesticide would add up their cost of production, but it can be compromised in a profit they are making for getting to sell all 100% of their rice based on the quantity. Therefore, the cost of rice at a price of more than 2 baht per dish is possible.
From the truth I have told you, this kind of management is not only limited to rice but also pork, garlic, chili, and basil leaves, too. However, farmers are not the one to be blamed solely as long as the market is still like this. Demand for safe food still exists but consumers' ability to pay is a factor in causing farmers to rely on chemical-based production. We are writing this not to witch hunting anyone because in the end, we are all responsible for our own lives, other people's lives and the environment interrelatedly.
Although in the last 10 years, the organic approach has caused the trend of not accepting food or raw materials contaminated by chemicals, but the number of patients is still increasing. The trend of patients is younger because in economics, most people still do not understand why safe, certified agricultural products have a high cost, despite that there is no cost for chemicals anymore. The ability to select safe materials, therefore, seems as if only the VIPs of those who can afford. This is not including how some irresponsibly corrupted vendors are doing with fake organic products to sell out there to people. I think now it’s time that we must not only wait for someone to do something for us.
As a consumer, you must create new ways to eat safely. You should create new ways of thinking and understand that what the price you pay for these expensive safe foods goes to the farmers' wages, which they have to spend a lot of time to keep the raw materials safe without relying on chemicals. At least the price is much cheaper than the cancer treatment fee, so to speak.
As an intermediary, a vendor, a middleman, you must also be honest to your products. Do not forget, your family must also eat. We never know that your irresponsible manner can turn you from a vendor to a murder as well.
As a farmer, you are the main contributor. Therefore, the food of this world is in your hands.
Greta Thunberg did not say even one sentence wrong even though she was heavily criticized for being aggressive. To me, the world still needs a lot of truth and courage like the words she said, "This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!’, said the crying Greta Thunberg followed by standing ovation from the crowd.
Author
Nattaporn Pinpech
Creative / Story teller