Organic Foods: Safe for You, Better for the Land
By choosing organic foods, consumers not only reap health and environmental benefits, but also contribute to a more stable and sustainable rural America.
by Marika Alena McCauley and Laura Inouye
American consumers, concerned about food safety and protecting the environment, are increasingly turning to organic foods. Growing numbers of natural food stores and mainstream grocery stores are offering organic fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and frozen foods, and organic farmers are making their goods directly available to consumers in their communities at farmers’ markets and food stands across the country. As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, organic cropland more than doubled during the 1990s.
Why are people going organic? Health-conscious consumers and environmentalists are concerned that:
900 million pounds of pesticides are used annually by U.S. agriculture, posing threats to human health and wildlife;
24.6 million pounds of antibiotics (70 percent of total U.S. antibiotic production) are fed to chickens, pigs and cows annually. Public health authorities are finding links between such use and antibiotic-resistant bacteria which are being passed on to consumers;
Bovine growth hormones routinely given to dairy cows are linked to breast, colon and prostate cancer in humans
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| Raising Organic broccoli in California. By: Laura Inouye/Oxfam |
Organic farming virtually excludes the use of synthetic chemicals in crop production and prohibits the use of growth hormones and antibiotics in livestock. Instead, farmers use crop rotation and organic pest management to maintain the health of their products, keeping the soil rich and productive and, most importantly, preventing toxic chemicals from poisoning consumers and from entering the water, soil and air. Organic farmers also use much less energy than their industrial counterparts. Processed organic foods contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives and are not irradiated.
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| Raising pork the old fashioned way – in the fresh air. By: Missouri Rural Crisis Center |
Organic farms play a vital role in sustaining and perpetuating the economic and social vibrancy of rural communities. As locally based businesses, organic farms keep jobs in the community and spend farm income on local goods and services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted studies indicating that organic farms yield higher profits than conventional farms growing corn, fruits and vegetables. As these profits circulate through the local economy, they raise property values and promote investment, including tourism, in rural areas. Farm families are able to hold on to their land and can offer their children the option of continuing to work the land, decreasing the likelihood of urban migration by young people in the community.
Organizations of organic farmers often take their community involvement a step further by spearheading projects to promote healthy eating, sustainable agriculture and food security. Oxfam partner AMO Organics, a cooperative of former farmworkers who are now independent farmers, sells its organic produce through the Farm Fresh Choice program in low-income neighborhoods in Berkeley, California. By selling directly, farmers earn a higher price than if they went through a wholesaler, and consumers pay less than they would at a grocery store.
Another Oxfam partner, Patchwork Family Farms (a project of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center), produces “pork raised the old fashioned way.” Twenty family farmers raise hogs humanely, with access to fresh air and sunshine and without antibiotics or growth hormones in the feed or water. They process and market their pork collectively under their own Patchwork Farmily Farms label and have built up a loyal following among local food stores, restaurants, food co-ops and neighbors who stop by the office to buy fresh, healthy pork, ham and sausage. To order Patchwork products online, go to www.supermarketcoop.com.
By going organic, consumers not only reap health and environmental benefits, they also contribute to a more stable and sustainable rural America.