Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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activities that true family organic farmers undertake: ecological integrity
and soil building through crop rotation and farm diversification. Alterna-
tive methods that promote healthy ecosystems and biodiversity right on the
farm is the solution to the problems of industrial agriculture. The best way
to promote this type of farming is to be aware of the impacts of farming
and make agriculture a key
environmental
issue. Ideally consumers should
have the opportunity to buy from local organic farmers whom they know
and trust.
The geographic reality is that we cannot always buy local organic food.
Climatic conditions and seasonal variations determine what food can be
grown in what regions. And while grassroots organic growers and activists
may oppose them, the bigger and less self-reliant organic farms also have
a place in organic agriculture - as long as these larger organic farms still
provide a real opportunity for industrial American farmers to convert to
organic methods. Bigger organic farms should provide a means to keep a
farm family on the land. Granted, this is not the small-scale, local, self-
reliant organic farms we idealize, but it could still be a valuable component
of a sustainable rural countryside. These larger organic farms would still use
holistic organic techniques, not conventional chemical controls. So they are
different from their industrial neighbors. Certainly locally marketed, small-
scale organic farms are a step away from the industrial agricultural system,
but a huge leap occurs when a medium or large-scale conventional farm
family is able to make the transition to organic methods. We need the small-
scale organic farms supplying a variety of vegetables to local and regional
markets, and we also need the midsized, family organic farms selling to
local, regional, national, or even global markets that represent a wholesale
shift away from industrial production. Consumers must take responsibility
to be sure that these family organic farms are able to remain independent
and viable; we need to ensure that corporate Big OAg doesn't besiege them.
To help consumers identify true family-operated organic farms, we could
create a new certification label, called Fair Share (Brussell 2003). When
used in combination, the “Certified Organic and Fair Share” label would
verify that the products were grown by family farmers who earn a fair price
(say, at least 75 percent of consumer price) for the products sold, and that
it is marketed outside the grips of agribusiness corporate control. For a
consumer this is not as direct as buying from the local farmers, but it would
still provide linkages from the field to the table. In addition, such labels
could bolster farmer cooperatives through which farmers join together to
market their commodities and gain a higher profit. Organic Valley Family
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