Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
addition to me, two to three days a week. He has a Ph.D. in pathology. He
has really developed his insect monitoring skills.”Using their own skills, the
scientific information they read, and scientific consultants, organic farmers
work hard to keep current withmethods of organic production, pest control,
and fertility.
En
vironmentalists
Farmers, particularly those with a conventional farming background, tend
to be leery of “environmentalists,”whom they believe are uneducated about,
and distrustful of, farming. Environmentalists tend to blame farmers for
ecological degradation (often rightly so). Regardless of the ecologically bal-
anced actions they undertake on their farms, even some organic farmers
have conflicted views of an “environmentalist.” Phil in California says, “My
wife is an environmentalist, and she has had a big influence on me. I don't
know that I would termmyself as an environmentalist, although I amproba-
bly a lot more so than I was ten years ago. When somebody grows older, they
think things out a littlemore. But I would say I ammore an environmentalist
than not an environmentalist.”
Naioma in Colorado says, “Environmentalists don't understand. If you
crack down too much on farmers, they will quit. Can we still feed the
world?” Although she has strong reservations about the motives of envi-
ronmentalists, she personally feels that “you cannot manage nature. You
have to be part of it.” These ecological concerns provide a glimpse into the
complementing and contrasting relationships between organic farmers and
the rest of American society.
[165],
(16)
Lines: 301 to 330
———
0.0pt PgVar
———
Normal Page
PgEnds: T
E
X
[165],
(16)
S
OCIAL FORCES
The success of organic farms is associated with values and ideals of society.
Specifically, American culture has a great deal of influence on farming,
food consumption, and rural life. Our government determines agricultural
policies, organic certification rules, and research themes, all of which are
shaped by American social values.
Am
erican Culture
Several aspects of our culture are very influential in organic farming. First,
organic farmers disagree with how Americans support the conventional
agricultural system, when in reality it is not sustainable. Second, public per-
