The revolution has already started! (Grab a trowel and join up!)
Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) began, it's said, in Europe and Japan in the 1960's and was brought to the US in the mid-1980's. An innovation on the old idea of growing and trading produce locally, a CSA is not funded primarily by the sale of its produce, but by a community that contributes to the entire budget of the enterprise. In other words, CSA members contribute funds to cover actual farm expenses, such as seed, water, and labor, and members receive produce as a dividend, each in accordance with how much was invested. (Often shareholders pick up the produce at farmers' markets.) The CSA method liberates the food grower from worrying about financing and marketing so that she or he can focus on providing food that's high in quality, wide in variety, and grown utilizing a broad range of sustainability practices. Currently, there are an estimated six hundred CSAs in the US. Here are some of the most important benefits of being a farmer or shareholder in the CSA revolution:
1) Since CSAs collect shares at the beginning of a season, a CSA farmer is able to avoid the conventional farming cycle of borrowing a huge amount of money at the beginning of the year with hopes she or he will be able to pay off the loans by the end of the year.
2) CSAs cost less to start up than a conventional family farm, which means starting a CSA is a viable small-business option for more people.
3) An economy founded on small business is a more vibrant and stable economy.
4) Since CSAs make starting a farm more affordable, the number of family farms can go up. If the number of family farms goes up, urban sprawl can be arrested.
5) CSAs have historically been dedicated to sustainability and conservation.
6) CSAs have historically been dedicated to growing organic crops. (When people buy local and organic, they don't have to worry about things like tainted spinach!)
7) Children who eat at a table supplied by a CSA know where their food comes from, giving them a greater appreciation for the food and for the land. (In fact, many CSAs allow folks to work off their shares, allowing city kids to actually help grow the food they eat. For that matter, public schools can start their own CSAs that can supply the school and local farmers' market with fresh produce while teaching the kids basic gardening, cooking, conservation, and small-business principles.)
8) CSAs short-circuit corporate farms and GMO agendas.
9) Because CSAs must deliver a certain amount of produce based on shares they've already received, but the farmers have no way of knowing what the growing season will be like in terms of weather, CSAs have a built-in incentive to grow a wide variety of crops, restoring the biodiversity of the US food supply.
10) CSAs can help citizens lead their communities in sensitivity to the Earth and defiance of big business and big government.
11) The values that CSAs foster can help us (and our children) appreciate more the people who lived in "the Americas" before Europeans did.
12) The values that CSAs foster can help us bring back some of the nation's ruined grasslands, wetlands, and woodlands.
13) Buying food locally reduces reliance on produce that is transported long distances, which, in turn, saves fuel and combats global warming.
How many other single things can you think of that will allow you to save the planet, stick it to corporations and big government, teach valuable lessons to the children, and provide you with an impressive variety of high-quality, sustainable produce all at the same time? I'm not suggesting that CSAs are a panacea by any means, but, by golly, they come pretty darn close!
And besides all of that… farmers' markets are a whole lot of fun!
For information on starting or joining a CSA, click here.
delicious
diggHey that's cool...
Recession fails to stop organic food growth
Recession fails to stop organic food growth
Even internationally, the organic movement is still strong.
"Research from Organic Monitor suggests global organic food sales are now expected to top $50bn in 2009 - about $10m above 2007 levels.
Sahota said there has been no loss of interest in organics over the past year and that the market is set for full recovery in 2010."
Editorial on urban farming
Good editorial in the paper today by Will Allen, the founder of "Growing Power" which looks for ways to promote farming in working-class, urban areas.
Demand for local produce on the increase in Massachusetts
The number of farmers markets and the number of small farms have both increased in response to the local food trend. As the demand for local produce has gone up, competition over local farm produce is also on the upswing . Increases in numbers of farmers also means that some produce is now competitive with mass-market produce available in large chain grocery stores.
Victory garden at the Whithouse
The Obamas broke ground on a Victory Garden on March 20th--a move that was suggested by the group "Eat the View." Below I've linked the story and also a website connected to the "eat the view" movement--it's a social networking site for kitchen gardeners.
Pesticide Companies pressure Obamas to forsake organic
(from Credo/Working Assets Wireless) The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) has a bone to pick with Michelle Obama. MACA represents chemical companies that produce pesticides, and they are angry that - wait for it - Michelle Obama isn't using chemicals in her organic garden at the White House. I am not making this up. In an email they forwarded to their supporters, a MACA spokesman wrote, "While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made [us] shudder." MACA went on to publish a letter it had sent to the First Lady asking her to consider using chemicals -- or what they call "crop protection products" -- in her garden. I just signed a petition telling MACA's board members to stop using Michelle Obama's garden to spread propaganda about produce needing to be sprayed with chemicals. I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action. http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/wh_garden/?r_by=3454-363297-5DBB.0x&rc=paste Thanks! |
That is...
Good News for sustainable agriculture
(from an article by Jane Black)
President Obama's choice of organics expert Kathleen Merrigan for the No. 2 spot at the Agriculture Department was immediately welcomed by sustainable agriculture and food policy advocates who have been lobbying hard for progressive appointments at an agency that has historically has emphasized programs that support commercial farming. ...
Food policy advocates were initially dismayed by Obama's choice of former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. But since his confirmation, Vilsack has gone out of his way to redefine himself as a friend to small farmers and an advocate for all eaters. Merrigan's selection, Murphy said, is one more sign "that change is going to happen in a lot of areas."
Homesteading
There was a brief piece in the book section of the paper today about Jenna Woginrich, a young woman who lives off the land in Vermont while working as a web-designer.
"Woginrich suggests that aspiring homesteaders begin their research online, though she emphasizes the value of human contact. When moving to the country, she writes, 'make sure there's a nice elderly couple next door to dispense advice.' "
Here's the piece in the paper: Shelf Life.
A link to Woginrich's book Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life.
And her blog: coldantler farm.
Industrialized Food
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Globalized industrialized food is not cheap: it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health. The Earth can no longer carry the burden of groundwater mining, pesticide pollution, disappearance of species and destabilization of the climate. Farmers can no longer carry the burden of debt, which is inevitable in industrial farming with its high costs of production. It is incapable of producing safe, culturally appropriate, tasty, quality food. And it is incapable of producing enough food for all because it is wasteful of land, water and energy. Industrial agriculture uses ten times more energy than it produces. It is thus ten times less efficient."
Dr. Vandana Shiva, scientist, world-renowned author, and grassroots leader in India. Member of the Policy Advisory Board of the Organic Consumers Association.
Conservative Values & Organic Foods
This article began by discussing Alic Waters ' work. Waters has proposed and started implementing "edible schoolyards" where children grow, prepare and eat fresh produce as part of the school curriculum. It then went on to talk about how people like Waters actually exemplify conservative values which, the author contends are based in "respect for the "Permanent Things": those convictions, institutions, and forms of life that - to borrow Waters's terms - are real, authentic, and lasting."
I liked that definition (which was actually kind of close to the way I remember my Dad defining conservative to me a long time ago--he sort of saw "conservative," "progressive," and "liberal" all as positive rather than pejorativeterms). Later the author talks about how this kind of way of thinking about conservatism would be completely in keeping with conservative political philosophers like Edmund Burke.
So what do y'all think...
... will this trend help organic farmers?
Also I wonder... as food prices increase, if organic food prices increase less (because fewer factors are at work in raising their prices -- increases in the cost of chemical pesticides, for example, won't impact the organic farmer), will they become more competitive? If so, and if the food price crisis lasts a couple years, will the added market share and revenue to organic growers in those two years allow them to STAY competitive when the price of other foods begins to go down again (making the expanded market share permanent and capable of continued growth, even into lower income markets)? In other words, could the present crisis end up being a boon for organic growers, actually bringing the price of their products within reach of poorer consumers?Despite gloomy predictions U.S. organics market bucks recession
Is the GC always right?
US organics buck recessionary trend
"US sales of organic food have surged despite dire predictions for its resilience as consumers look for ways to cut spending, according to a new survey on American organics.
During 2008, sales were up 15.8 percent on the year before, according to a survey carried out by the Lieberman Research Group on behalf of the Organic Trade Association (OTA).
Predictions for organic product sales have been gloomy, with market researchers foreseeing a slump in more pricy goods, including organic food. But this has not been the case, the OTA said.
The OTA research comes just weeks after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would be conducting its own survey of the organic sector from a farming perspective, the first large-scale national survey of its kind. USDA’s results are due to be published in the coming winter. "
Food Price Increase
Generally I do think several factors are going to make small, local, and organic farms more competitive. Agribusiness will probably be devoting more acreage to biofuel. Fuel prices are going to raise food prices for food that's being hauled over distance vs. locally grown. And then, as you say, costs of other products used like pesticides are going to have an impact too.
And I do think the more that is known in labelling the better for organics.
Wake up farmers!
Take advantage of this opportunity.
Organic food industry faces a supply crunch
Consumers paying more as farmers struggle to meet demand
When what people want is something good, and it would help farmers make a great profit - why not encourage it?!?!?
This is one of the reasons subsidies and not labeling GM foods have really cost the American people. Let the market system work. Supply and demand... power to the people!
Corporate Organics
Mixed feelings on this - the source here makes some controversial claims, but I appreciate reading them to see what kind of backing they've got.
Which Giant Corporation Owns Your Favorite Organic Food Brand?
The article mentions pluses and minuses to corporate involvement and shares some interesting facts.
The conclusion is that shopping locally is best.
This is what corporate organics has to offer
...again looking for new ways to degrade the value of the organic label in order to get a larger market share.
Posting a petition link as a starting link for your investigation into this issue:
Hint: it's not an organic fish With blindfolded eyes you reach into the box and feel something wet and slimy. That's fine for Halloween giggles, but not how most of us want to shop. Instead, we want to read the label, and many of us pick "organic." But now bureaucrats may decide that fish exposed to mercury and PCBs, or raised in farms that contaminate the environment, can be labeled organic. Let them know, that stinks!
Pesticides suspect in hormone & reproductive disfunction
In this article Testosterone Under Attack an observed trend in low testosterone levels is questioned.
Excerpt:
Mitch Harman M.D., Ph.D., an endocrinologist at the University of Arizona college of medicine and the director of the Kronos Longevity Research Institute, sees the shadow of Silent Spring. Back in 1962, when Rachel Carson published her environmental classic, estrogen-like substances in the insecticide DDT were making eggshells so thin that they were crushed by nesting parents; populations of eagles and other large birds plummeted. And today? Dr. Harman says, "I'm concerned that we're just pouring chemicals out into our environment that are endocrine-suppressing, estrogen-like compounds," possibly causing similar disruptions in human reproduction. The authors of a recent article in the Medical Journal of Australia likewise suggest that from early fetal life onward, male hormonal and reproductive functions are under "xenobiotic attack," meaning chemicals not naturally found in the body appear to be disrupting normal biological development.
Hats off to Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was the woman who pioneered the environmental movement and brought the dangers of chemical pesticides to the attention of the nation with her book "Silent Spring".
She was posthumously given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her life work led directly to the passage of laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Federal Insectiside, Fungicide, and Rodenticide act.
For women's history month a documentary of her life is being released and shown in limited screenings.
Click "screenings" on the webpage linked above to find a viewing near you. The take action link has an action alert to fight industry attempts to weaken the regulations on the use of fumigants in agriculture.
In take action there is a list of News articles of new studies on the negative effects of pesticides on human health.
This is the awesomest map ever!!!
I'm on cloud 9
I was finally able to get my act together this year and finally joined a CSA!
22 weeks of farm fresh, local, organic veggies. Now I don't have to think so hard about what I can and can't buy for produce at the local stores and I'm getting the healthiest stuff around.
It's funny - my coworkers and I were realizing that there's this mental block people have to shopping for produce. I think the reason most people hestitate to buy it because it don't keep as long and it means more trips to the store. That's really all we came up with.
There's an impression that it takes longer to prepare veggies, but when put to the test the meat eaters couldn't think of any meat dish they could put together quicker than a salad, even if they chopped their own lettuce. So it's just weird. I'll admit even as a vegetarian I've had this impression.
Certainly there is stuff that takes longer to prepare... such as if you cook a baked potato from scratch. A good hour in the oven right? ... but how long really does it take you to wash it and put it in there while it cooks? Pop it in the oven, walk away do other things for an hour and come back when it's dinner time. It really just comes down to planning your food prep.
mental block
I've had that very same conversation with my coworkers, except I think they were the ones with the mental block. They see the benefits of buying organic, but the higher cost and shorter ripe time creates an epidemic in their mind and they fall back to the simple convenience of buying the tainted produce at the grocery store.
But I wasn't sure... and I guess I'm still not sure... I thought that particular mind block was more or less a misconception. I mean, organic produce might spoil faster than "treated" produce, but because the organic produce is fresher and newly picked, the ripe times between the two sort of even out for the most part. Meaning, store-bought produce gets treated because of the time it takes for the processing and shipping to the stores, and then of course the time it takes to be purchased.
Preserving produce longer
I just saw these reusable bags at the store for produce that are supposed to keep your produce fresher, longer (plus, reusable).
Preserving produce
Alternatives to pasteurization
Here's an interesting article on the same topic. This is where corporations are going in an effort to cash in on the "natural" foods market...
Orange juice shelf-life may be extended by natural chitosan
Using chitosan, an emerging ingredient extracted from fungi cell walls, may act as an anti-microbial ingredient for orange juice, and remove the need for pasteurization, says a new study.
Adding one gram of chitosan to one litre of fresh orange juice was found to reduce both enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning of the juice, while also controlling the spoilage during the storage time, according to new findings published in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies.
The research taps into an ever-growing body of study exploring novel source of natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives, such as like BHA and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), to slow down the oxidative deterioration of food is gaining interest.
At present, 'natural' is a powerful force in the food industry, and there is increasing resistance at regulatory and consumer level - as well as from food retailers and manufacturers aiming to meet their demands - to synthetic preservatives.
The study also provides an alternative approach to pasteurization, said the researchers, following concerns raised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to avoid consumption of un-pasteurised orange juice due to fears of potential contamination with Salmonella Typhimurium.
History of freshness
This is an interview with Susanne Freidberg about her new book "Fresh: a Perishable History."
It really sounds like an intriguing book. The interview highlights the way in which she points out that "fresh" is not really a natural concept, but one that evolved with technological innovation (especially refrigeration) and is also strongly tied to marketing strategies.
mental block
Ah, well my coworkers didn't compare and contrast organic with the convential type. I think you're right though. If you buy treated strawberries vs. organic strawberries, you'll still need to eat them within the week or they'll spoil. The difference is that the chemically treated strawberries have been on the road longer and sprayed with a fungacide in order to look fresher than they really are in order that they might be sold. Organic strawberries can't be sprayed with the same things - and so if they've made it to your grocer, it's likely they haven't travelled as far or else they'd have very little shelf life.
I pay more for organic because you can't beat the taste. Conventional produce tastes like cardboard to me in comparison. Organic produce has more nutrients (even because of its shorter shelf life/travel times), and is less toxic to the environment as well as your body.
more nutrients
More Nutrients
March is here
It's time to start thinking about this!
Now is the time to join a C.S.A. and support the local food movement in your area. The link above still works - yippee!
What else can we do?
The mission of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity is to organize and fund projects that defend our world’s heritage of agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.
We envision a new agricultural system that respects local cultural identities, the earth’s resources, sustainable animal husbandry, and the health of individual consumers.
Fresh. We’re talking strawberries that are still warm from the sun—not chilled into submission from their 2,000 mile journey to your table.
Healthy. Food that is good for you, good for the land and good for your community. Food you can trust.
Local. When you buy food from your neighborhood farmer you help build your community.
It’s simple: Local purchases help keep money and other resources close to home. Let's take a look at the example under the "What consumer's aren't told" comment.
If we take the annual savings in 280 to 346 thousand gallons saved in transport if Iowa were to rely on local agriculture... at $3.15 a gallon average price of gasoline - we would be freeing up $882,000 to $10,899,000 to be redirected to better ventures.
What consumers aren't told
There are enormous indirect costs implicit in the high energy requirements of modern agriculture. Agriculture requires energy at many points:
Fuel to run huge combines and harvesters, energy to produce and transport pesticides and fertilizers, and fuel to refrigerate and transport perishable produce cross country and around the world. The use of fossil fuels contributes to ozone pollution and global warming, which could exact a high price through increased violent weather events and rising oceans.
The full costs of industrial agriculture call into question the notion of cheap food.
What is the cost vs. benefit of Industrial Agrigculture?
It is estimated that the average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate. Why is this cause for concern? There are many reasons:
This long-distance, large-scale transportation of food consumes large quantities of fossil fuels. It is estimated that we currently put almost 10 kcal of fossil fuel energy into our food system for every 1 kcal of energy we get as food. Transporting food over long distances also generates great quantities of carbon dioxide emissions. Some forms of transport are more polluting than others.
Airfreight generates 50 times more CO2 than sea shipping. But sea shipping is slow, and in our increasing demand for fresh food, food is increasingly being shipped by faster - and more polluting -- means. In order to transport food long distances, much of it is picked while still unripe and then gassed to "ripen" it after transport, or it is highly processed in factories using preservatives, irradiation, and other means to keep it stable for transport and sale. Scientists are experimenting with genetic modification to produce longer-lasting, less perishable produce.
Current infrastructure and decision making of the food system are based on profitability and do not take the environmental or community costs.
Buy local produce and save the world
Average distance by truck for produce to travel to the Chicago Terminal Market
Grapes - 2413 miles. Point of origin: 1 state in the US, and 7% from Mexico
Broccoli - 2095 miles. Point of origin: 3 US states, and 3% from Mexico
Apples - 1555 miles. Point of origin: 8 US states
Sweet corn - 813 miles. Point of origin: 16 states 7% from Mexico
Produce arriving by truck traveled an average distance of 1518 miles to Chicago in 1998, a 22% increase over the 1245 mi in 1981.
In California alone 485,000 truckloads of fresh fruit and vegetables leave the state annually and travel 100 to 3100 miles to reach their destination.
Changing traffic patterns:
In 1965 there were 787,000 trucks used to transport goods - using 6.658 billion gallons of fuel. In 1997 1,790,000 trucks used to transport goods expended 20.294 billions of gallons of fuel - many of these trucks are used in food transport.
Let's take one state:
Produce from Iowa local food projects average 44.6 miles to reach their destination versus 1546 miles if purchased in Iowa from conventional sources. On the whole it takes anywhere from 4 to 17 times more fuel to transport conventionally grown produce than is expended transporting produce via the regional/local system.
This means that if only 10% more of the produce for Iowa consumption were regional/local it would result in an annual reduction in CO2 emmissions ranging from 6.7 to 7.9 million pounds (saving from 280 to 346 thousand gallons of fuel depending on the system and truck type)
If the produce you buy is...
Homegrown Fresh
Food you or your family grew. May include food grown at an earlier time which hasn't been processed beyond harvesting, washing, and storing. Examples of food grown at an earlier time and stored are potatoes, carrots in sand, cabbages, apples, winter squash, etc. Fresh, maximum nutrients, generally uses the least nonrenewable energy. Maximum possibilities for avoiding pollution of all sorts. Note: you may choose to eat this food fresh or cooked and still consider it in this category.
Homegrown Preserved
Dried, canned, frozen, pickled, fermented. More energy used. May or may not result in need for recycling or waste removal.
Grown within 1 Square Mile
A 15- to 20-minute walk for most people. This is the amount of walking that many people are willing to do on a regular basis.
Grown within 3 miles
An hour walk for most people. An easy bike ride in terms of distance. Likely within public transportation if public transportation is available. People are less willing to walk this on a regular basis, but it's quite doable for most if there in some sort of transportation disruption.
Grown within 50 miles
This is drivable in an hour or less. It's likely been picked within 24 hours of purchase. It is possible to get this food by bicycle.
Grown within 250 miles
This is half a day on a truck. It's likely to be at least one to two days old by the time of arrival.
Grown within 500 miles
A whole day on a truck. Lots of fossil fuel used, but still could be fairly fresh.
Grown within 1500 miles
Food is probably at least 3 to 5 days old. Food has come from half a continent away.
Grown within 3000 miles
Food is at least a week old and from across the continent.
Over 3000 miles
Food is probably 1 to 2 weeks old, or lots of fossil fuel was used to fly it somewhere. Food may have come from across a continent or the sea.
Scratching the surface
Other types of Pollution
Factory farming and current farming practice contributes to the water shortage, chemical runoff from fertilizer and insecticide sprays that disrupt hormone dependant activities in insects, animals and humans.
They cause damage to fisheries from oxygen depleting fertilzer run off.
Biodiversity
Genetic diversity provides species with the ability to adapt to their environment and evolve. Evolution, and therefore our survival, depends on it.
Medicine: almost half of our prescription drugs are based on natural products.
Alarming Trends:
75% of European food product diversity has been lost since 1900
93% of American food product diversity has been lost in the same time period
33% of livestock varieties have disappeared or are near disappearing
30,000 vegetable varieties have become extinct in the last century, and one more is lost every six hours
A real life example and some numbers:
Food, Fuel and Freeways (research article)
There have be significant changes in today's agriculture - Iowa produced 34 different commodoties on at least 1% of farms in 1920 including apples, potatoes, cherries, plums, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn, and pears. 50% of farms produced at least 10 different products.
Following WWII agriculture became specialized (welcome the factory farm) - Iowa's agriculture centered on corn, soybeans, hogs and cattle.
By 1970 no fruits and vegetables were grown on at least 1% of Iowa's farms. By 1997 only corn and soybeans were produced on over 50% of Iowa's farms.
Another statistic shows that in 1870 100% of apples bought in Iowa came from Iowa, in 1925 that dropped to only 50%, in 1999 only 15% of apples bought in Iowa came from the state.
Good Information
Re: Good Information
It's so sad...
Red Delicious
Whole Foods
Whole Foods / Wild Oats
Here's a follow up on that story.
It's a little depressing that this is such a good example of money being the desicive factor in agriculture. I'm just not going to like anything that hurts the organic movement, but the politics of food just won't go away. This is obviously a market sector that people will always need, and so a very secure money maker to ag corporations. I still find it shocking to know that only 4 major corporations control the food supply for the entire globe!
But back to the point... I think what this guy did was kind of stupid - as far as the postings on the internet, but I agree with this article that the most damaging stuff he said was to the board about why he wants to make this merger.
All said and done, I don't know enough about this case to know if I'm rooting for this purchase or not.
Thanks for Providing this Information
OMG--thanks so much for this. I used to belong to a food coop which collapsed about 15 years ago so its great to find a place to connect again. This branches out in so many ways--I guess because it is such a foundational aspect of our (or any) society.
Just a few quick additions--I recently heard an interesting piece on NPR about the effect of bottled water on the environment (plastics filling landfills). Aquafina and Dasani are both only local tap water filtered.
There's a great novel about the corporate meat industry (and also about Asian/Western misunderstandings) called "My Year of Meats" (also about the definition of "American"). It changed my eating habits.
Re: Thanks
a new kind of victory garden
Historically, Victory gardens were America's answer to renew resources depleted by WWII. The recycling movement was part of this push, as well as conservation. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" was born.
Today we're in a similar place, but fight a much more formidable foe - complacency. In our quest for plenty, we've industrialized our food supply to make it "cheap". We've found it may be monetarily inexpensive, but it's also cheap in nutrition as well.
The local foods movement and the "Slow Food" movement have become the new call of the era. What better way to kick this off than with your own garden?
And one cool thing emerged from this era of "tech" ... an online webinar on farming for practical gardening tips. PracticalFarmers.org presents the "Winter Farminar" series. Enjoy!