Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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philosophical and ideological reasons behind organic farming, but the fact
is that regulating a person's ideals is nearly impossible. On the other hand,
U.S. certification could be greatly improvedwith the inclusion of more com-
prehensive ecological standards, such as on-farmbiodiversity and landscape
goals. These ecological benefits would be obvious at the farm level, as they
require that land be set aside (not put into crops), which in turn indicates a
farmer's commitment to noneconomic goals.
At present, the benefit of certified organic agriculture is its clear meaning.
Farmers and consumers know what production methods are employed: no
synthetic chemicals and no GMOs are used. As discovered in a comparison
of eighteen European countries, common production standards are the
most influential factor in increasing organic farming, since both farmers
and consumers demand a clear and uniform definition (Michelsen 2001b).
High certification standards and national regulations create consumer con-
fidence, encourage genuine organic farmers, and provide easy access to in-
ternational trade (Tate 1994). Of course, this globalization of organic food
flies in the face of local food initiatives. This is a complex geographical issue,
and we must strive to create a delicate balance between small organic farms
that can supply nearby communities and larger organic farms that can pro-
duce grains for national and international distribution (while encouraging
other nations to produce their own organic crops). We should support the
existing USDA standards but at the same time work to strengthen them to
benefit family organic farmers, the environment, local communities, and
consumers alike. This is the best way to promote the continued success of
U.S. organic farming.
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ROTECTING ORGANIC FARMING AS AN ALTERNATIVE
The success of organic farming is becoming clear, and Americans are begin-
ning to see that this form of agriculture can provide ecological and social
benefits. At the same time, this mainstreaming has led to another problem:
agribusiness (or Big O Ag) realizes that organic farming is a profitable seg-
ment of agriculture. So we must promote organic farming in a form that can
“coexist with the global industrial food system rather than being co-opted
by it” (Milestad and Darnhofer 2003, 94). And indeed, one corporation
already controls many of the familiar organic product lines we see in the
stores: the Hain-Celestrial Group (of which Heinz has 20 percent equity)
owns Earth's Best baby food, Nile Spice, Garden of Eatin', Arrowhead Mills,
Health Valley, Casbah, Imagine/Soy Dream, Celestial Seasonings, Westbrae,
Westsoy, Little Bear, Bearitos, etc. (Howard 2004). The familiar organic la-
