Popular opinion says that organic agriculture is better than current conventional agriculture. That is, organic agriculture is better than a system of large farms that use generous amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides/fungicides on a monocultured crop - a system with detrimental consequences for the environment and our species. But, is organic really better?
The term 'organic' used to be much broader than its current usage denotes. It was part of a vision for a sustainable method of agriculture that was in stark contrast to the petro-chemical laden industries of the present. Yet, as that vision has taken shape over the years, much of the heart of what was considered 'organic' fell to the wayside: small farms, ecological stewardship, biodiversity, local communities. With the adoption of federal regulations governing organic standards - (first the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, then the National Organic Program (NOP) in 2000) - today the term organic basically means that the product was not produced using genetically-modified organisms and that it was not treated with organophosphates. Now, we have dairies, large farms, and international companies who are cashing-in on the public's (mis)perception of how our food is produced.
When I'm working out at the farmers' market, or talking food anywhere, I cringe every time I hear: "I buy organic because there's no pesticides," or, "It says no sprays; so it's organic." Organic farmers use pesticides. Organic farmers use fertilizers. The only difference between an organic and non-organic fertilizer or pesticide is that the latter is a synthetic organophosophate, whereas organic fertilizers and pesticides are most often produced from animal or mineral sources. Both serve the same function; that is, both fit as interchangable cogs in the same machinery or system. It is true that many organic fertilizers and pesticides are less toxic and less persistant in our bodies and environment. However, it is also true that these ingredients for organic products are mined or harvested elsewhere, refined, packaged, and shipped all around the world. Gypsum, for example, is mined in huge quantities not only for drywall, but also for a soil ammendment, as it makes calcium readily available. How sustainable is this? Gypsum is a finite resource, and it will dry up - not to mention the fossil fuels used to mine, refine, package and ship gypsum. I can only wonder how or where bat guano is harvested for fertilizers?
Another aspect of sustainability that was lost in the translation of 'organic' into federal standards, integrally tied-in with the pesticide/fertilizer issue, is biodiversity. Biodiversity is key to the health of any ecosystem. The reason farmers need to use pesticides is because we have imbalanced an ecosystem: by concentrating on one or few crops, with no 'weeds' or other foliage, the insects that prey upon these crops will be invited to feast on cloud nine - just imagine what several acres of only tomato plants looks like to an aphid! Insects and mircoorganisms exist in a delicate balance that is dependent upon diversity, and competition among these insects and mircoorganisms keeps any one of them from dominating. By growing only one or a few crops in a large area, and without any 'weeds' or habitat for predatory insects, a farmer is only asking for trouble.
But can we blame the farmer? About as much as we can blame 'poor people' for being financially poor; there is a larger systemic problem at play. The current federal regulations set by the Farm Bill favor large farms (Take action!). During industrialization, as people began to concentrate in cities for industrial/office jobs, their food source had to be grown by fewer and fewer people, farther and farther away, and in greater and greater quantities. The figures show that more than 4.7 million farms have been lost in the U.S. in the last 75 years and that less than 1 million Americans work as farmers today (See FoodRoutes). In a race to catch up with population growth and food demand, the technologies and resources of the so-called Green Revolution were employed to produce food in enormous quantities. And it worked, for a while. But at what cost to our health? At what cost to our environment? We need a new Revolution, one that doesn't simply substitute one cog for another, but one that builds a new system in the face of our current challenge - sustainability.
Farmers are in a pickle, so to speak. Despite their natural inclination for stewarding the land, farmers are stuck in a system that demands consistently high-output at a low cost. A farmer, no matter how strong her or his convictions about our health and the environment, often faces a difficult situation by having to choose: spray this pesticide or lose my livelihood. Combine this with the fact that we rely on the chemical industries to provide information/research and fund agricultural programs at universities, and the fact that we as conusmers expect foods out-of-season, and you can begin to see why the system has gone so awry. Many organic farmers' are making a valiant effort to do the least harm possible within a inherently harmful system - substituting one cog that leaves a less harmful impact than another. There are also those who are attempting to change the system altogether. Many of these farmers are 'beyond organic' or choose not to certify their products as organic, as a way of biting their thumb at the current system. But these farmers are far and few between. It takes not only an impressive amount of knowledge and skill to produce crops in a sustainable manner given our current situation, but also an incredible amount of perseverence and dedication in the face of adversity. These farmers must do the impossible: be managers of an ecological system, simultaneously encouraging diversity while selecting for consistency. This is ancient knowledge that has been lost in a modern world: the ability to plan, observe, and respond appropriately to the situation.
Yet, there are heroes of sustainable agriculture who pass on the torch of knowledge just like the heirloom seeds they grow, despite the wanderings of the organic industry. Their methods do not cost any money and require the farmer to look no further than the farm.
Hence, my Hero of the Day: Gil Carandang
Simplicity is key.
Let's get this straight: Organic agriculture is somewhat better for us and our environment than the current 'conventional' practices. But organic agriculture is not necessarily sustainable agriculture. Certifications like organic exist because we as consumers are disconnected from the source of production, so we need a third-party to certify that the good was produced as represented. Don't rely on labels, find out for yourself - go to a reputable farmers' market and ask questions. Let's put less trust in third-parties and more faith in the first-person. You can't ask a shelf where its' product came from, and if you could, you wouldn't want to know the answer (on a broad average, our produce travels over 1500 miles before making it onto our plate - argh!). When I can't buy something produced sustainably and locally, I'll buy organic. I'll save my rant about the importance of locatlity for another rainy day... Digest this first.
We need to do our part to facilitate these changes as consumers. In addition to educating farmers about ecological methods, we need to educate ourselves and each other about our food and its importance. While it is true that a significant portion of the population cannot afford even cheaply-produced food, it is also true than the vast majority of us who live in the wealthiest empire on the planet could spend much more of our budget on quality nourishment. We need to readjust our priorities: rather than spending money on Comcast Triple Play or a $3 latte per day, spend that money on nourishing your body with quality food grown with care and use your dollars to vote for a change - a sustainable food system.
Go to a farmers' market, join a CSA, plant a garden, start cooking - whatever it is, make a step to give food the central priority it deserves in our lives.
Inspiring photo of a sustainable farm fromTana Butler's blog:
The UCSC Farm.
And, one more. Gil Carandang's farm in the Phillipines:
Send your comments. Share your thoughts. Commune.
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