Living on the Earth, February 25, 2000: Organic Threat? Hogwash! Earlier this month, the 20/20 program on Disney's ABC-TV ran quite an inflammatory segment on organic food. The show combined a focus by host John Stossel on the higher cost of organic food and an attack by Dennis Avery on the safety and productivity of organic agriculture. Focusing on the higher purchase price of organic food ignores both the real unpaid costs of conventional agriculture (such as poisoned farmworkers, polluted water, eroded soil and devastated ecosystems) and the fact that the farmer receives only five cents of each food dollar we spend. About fifteen cents buys chemical, seed and machinery inputs. Nearly 80 cents pays for distribution (that is, to get food from farms to stores and restaurants). Mr. Avery works at the Hudson Institute, a private organization funded by the proponents and financial beneficiaries of the current industrial food system. His bias, therefore, isn't surprising. Avery is inconsistent, however, when he accuses mostly small-scale organic farmers of having a vested interest in promoting their harvests, while he shamelessly praises pesticides and plastic for his very influencial corporate funders. Over a year ago, Marian Burros writing for <I>The New York Times </I>(February 17, 1999. "Eating Well; Anti-Organic and Flawed.") pointed out the serious weaknesses in Avery's claims. (See also the Wallace Institute's web site, http://www.hawiaa.org/press001a.htm) 20/20 reported finding bacteria on five percent of conventional and organic leafy produce. If you put tender, fresh-cut lettuce or greens into a plastic bag in California, it isn't so surprising that without chlorine or some other strong treatment, those veggies will be covered with all kinds of bacteria by the time they get to the east coast. Here is yet another compelling reason to localize our food supply. The ever-growing distances between growers and eaters can be as damaging as pesticides. In response to concerns about contamination, organic certifying agencies have lengthened the time required between manure applications and harvest. In Connecticut, NOFA's Organic Standards require 75 days and strongly recommend careful composting first. The dangerous <I>e.coli </I>can't live for long in the presence of oxygen, in a good compost pile or in healthy soil. Contrary to Avery's position, the real threat to human, community and planetary health comes from the current, highly-concentrated, long-distance, industrial food system. Farmers now receive almost the lowest prices ever for what they grow, while consumers spend willingly and lavishly for specialty foods like fancy coffees. Meanwhile, rural communities and local foodsheds are decimated worldwide as large-scale monocultures and centralized distribution systems replace the productive biodiversity of small farms and local foods. Mr. Avery ignores not only the environmental damages of industrial farming, but also those from the farm input and food distribution sectors, including toxic wastes, profligate energy use and excessive packaging. Organic farmers as well as home and community gardeners, avoid these economic and environmental costs. Home gardens, community-supported agriculture projects and local farms all reduce the damages caused by the food distribution sector while they revive local communities. For decades, we in the organic movement, have been creating an alternative food system that respects human health, farmers, communities and ecosystems. This 20/20 attack is a sign that we're making progress against some very powerful opponents. To learn more about "Organic Farming at Home and Abroad," join us one week from tomorrow for the Connecticut NOFA End of Winter Conference for gardeners, farmers and consumers. Call 203-484-2445 or go to http://ct.nofa.org for more information. This is Bill Duesing, Living on the Earth (C)2000, Bill Duesing, Solar Farm Education, Box 135, Stevenson, CT 06491 Bill and Suzanne Duesing operate the Old Solar Farm (raising NOFA/CT certified organic vegetables) and Solar Farm Education (working on urban agriculture projects in southern Connecticut and producing "Living on the Earth" radio programs). Their collection of essays Living on the Earth: Eclectic Essays for a Sustainable and Joyful Future is available from Bill Duesing, Box 135, Stevenson, CT 06491 for $10 postpaid or from Amazon.com. Now in its tenth year, "Living on the Earth" airs at 6:53 Friday mornings on WSHU, 91.1 FM Public Radio, serving Connecticut and Long Island. Essays from 1995 to the present, and an audio version of this week's essay are available at www.wshu.org/duesing. Distribution of these essays is encouraged. Reprinting rights available by request. If you are interested in receiving these weekly essays do nothing more. If you would like not to receive these mailings, please let me know.
