==== Organic tea ==== Off late, many tea growers have begun to question conventional tea growing practices which rely on the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. These destructive synthetic chemicals devastate the soil, destroy the surrounding ecosystem and adversely affect the health of plantation workers. Many Darjeeling tea producers have become certified organic, and report many benefits from having done so -- *The soil fertility improves, since the soil is freed from harmful herbicides and pesticides. Instead, planters rely on compost, natural organic matter, and supplementary plants to provide the necessary ground cover and nutrients. *The tea bushes become more resilient to infections. *It is safer for workers. On conventional tea estates, the spraying of highly toxic pesticides affects workers’ health adversely. *Local flora and fauna return. The Soil Association, an international organization for organic cultivation, notes that a typical organic field has five times as many wild plants, 57 percent more animal species, and 44 percent more birds than a conventionally cultivated farm.