Organic, bio-dynamic and fairtrade. What's the difference and why does it matter?

Northey St City Farm has organic markets every Sunday.

All the stall holders are certified organic, but some of them have also suggest they are bio-dynamic or that their produce is grown to classical music. I bought some bio-dynamic eggs from one stall holder and it made me think about all the different terms that surround the notion of eating more sustainably. Or, I guess at least being more conscious about where the food we eat comes from and how it is grown and manufactured.


So what does it mean to be certified organic? What is bio-dynamic and why would food grown that way be better for us? How would bio-dynamic practices promote a better life for the chickens that lay the eggs?

We've started to unpack some of these terms on the Words section of our blog. If you are as confused as we were, check it out as a starting point.

My peas growing into their pods

One of the underpinning themes of our investigation is determining if engagement with the learning experience will foster a behaviour change. To this end we have decided to plot our mood levels when we water, weed or otherwise tend to our plants. Because what better way to foster change than to build a personal connect with what we're doing?

So each morning, I wander down to the garden beds  (in my slippers and PJs mind you), water each plant and make notes about their appearance. On Sundays and Wednesdays I measure their growth as well. Then I decide how I'm feeling based on this activity.

Upon reflection, I've noticed that my moods generally correlate with the 'important' things that are happening that day - uni assessment, field placement, tutoring, lazing around.

But the days I note a change in my plants (so, usually Sundays and Wednesdays), well I cannot contain my excitement! When I observed that the vines from my pea plants had started to curl around their stands, I rushed out and took some photos; I was that excited!

I've also found that I am talking about my peas. A lot. To my husband. To Jess and Shirin. To my family. To my friends outside of uni. I've started to make predictions in the back of mind about what will happen when I go out the next morning. I'm also secretly hoping for a particular plant to be the 'best'. And I cannot wait until pea pods start growing. Now *that* will be an exciting day! :)