Hydrocarbons and their halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated or nitrosated derivatives

The modern organic movement began in Europe around the 1920s, when a group of farmers and consumers sought an alternative to the industrialisation of agriculture. Of key importance to these farmers and consumers was caring for the soil and natural processes upon which agriculture depends, including not using inputs such as artificial fertilisers and synthetic chemicals. A leading figure at the time was the Austrian thinker, Rudolf Steiner, whose ideas led to a system of cultivation known as biodynamic. In the middle of the 20th century enthusiasts brought organic techniques from Europe to Australia, a place with very different climate, soils and density of settlement. With...