Russia: Organic Klondike of the world? - Eat your heart out Monsanto and die.

The organic food trend is sweeping through Russia. Enthusiastic farmers believe that, with its vast agricultural potential, Russia could become the world’s organic food basket. Eating organic food is considered to be the best way to cut on consumption of pesticides and chemical additives, something modern big city dweller can only dream of. Russian supermarkets are now full of costly organic food imported from abroad. However, the country’s progressive farmers believe Russia should be able to feed its people healthily, and also provide the rest of the world with perfect organic products.

A large weekend farmers’ market has opened in Moscow offering a huge selection of organic products and ethnic flavors, as well as special talks on a healthy lifestyle. RT talked to one of the event’s promoters. “Slow Food is an international movement that started in Italy in the mid 1980s,” organizer of Slow Food Ulitka festival, Victor Michaelson, told RT. “Initially, it was kind of resistance to the fast food that was invading Europe at that time. The Italian intelligentsia and middle class wanted to protect the lifestyle of the country.” Eventually, the movement spread all over the world. Michaelson says it is now popular in 153 countries.

“It promotes local products, local farmers’ markets, conserving local culinary traditions, gathering around the family table, home-cooking and many other things we accept as given,” Michaelson said. “Actually, it wasn’t so easily understandable just 10 or 15 years ago. It was with Slow Food that it became so popular.” A year ago, Michaelson set up his own farmers’ market – at that time, the first in Moscow.

“There was demand, there was a response. People were asking about it. Dealing with students, I feel they are retreating from fast life and the fast food lifestyle and looking for more natural things,” Michaelson told RT.

The activist said he is targeting mostly young people, as they are easier to persuade and, in their turn, can persuade their parents.

“Young people follow the trend. They travel to the West, come back, and say, ‘Instead of going to discos, they took me to the market. What’s going on in the world?’”
Defending organic food against charges of steep prices, Michaelson argued this does not always have to be the case. “Something produced by agroindustry is cheaper by default. On the other hand, if you buy local products, you pay less for packaging and storage. You don’t pay to the many middlemen.”
Michaelson told RT that the mission of Slow Food is to show people how to enjoy their lives.

“We are trying to educate people that they have to respect themselves, to get pleasure from what they do and from what they eat. That’s more important than exact knowledge of where his potato or carrot was grown.”