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Organic Food and Fair Trade

Organic Food

  • organic food in the US has been certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
  • Produced without any synthetic (man-made) fertilizers or pesticides
    • Farmers used animal manure or legumes to provide Nitrogen to the soil
    • For insecticides, they use “biological control” or naturally occurring toxins
    • beneficial insects
    • Bt from soil bacteria inoculated into the soil
    • Pyrethrins, neem, and other naturally occurring toxins
    • “Organic Farming is not free of toxins, they are just naturally occurring toxins”
    • Weeds are controlled with mulching or mechanical cultivation
  • Organic foods tend to cost 10-40% more than conventionally grown food

Natural Foods

  • “Natural” foods: are not the same as organic foods
  • Natural foods can be made from plants grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides but they are minimally processed without additives like food coloring

History of Organic Farming

  • Began in the early 20th century in Europe as a reaction to the use of nitrogenous fertilizer.
    • 1909: Haber Bosch process to convert gaseous N2 into ammonia started the fertilizer industry
  • The term “organic farming” is attributed to Jerome Rodale (1898-1971) who was a New York accountant and started a magazine called “Organic gardening and farming” in 1942
  • Initially, organic foods did not have a large market
  • The start of the environmental movement was triggered by the publication of “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson in 1962, and this increased the demand for organic foods.
    • The book documented the harm --specifically to birds -- caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides
  • It spurred public advocacy for foods without synthetic pesticides over the next two decades
  • In 1990, US Congress created a national standard for certifying and labeling organically grown produce
  • In 2002 the USDA determined that foods can be labeled as organic ONLY if grown and handled by certified organic producers and processors and grown with all the following requirements:
    • Only non-synthetic substances can be used
    • Also no human sewage sludge as fertilizer
    • No irradiation of food to kill pathogens
    • No GMOs
  • Farms must be free of prohibited substances and practices for at least 3 years before production can be labeled organic
  • Certification is carried out by a third-party government-accredited certifier.
    • Certification cost $700/farm for the 1st year and $400/farm every year after that
  • Foods can carry the “USDA Organic” logo
  • As organic produce has increased in popularity in the last decade, some suppliers, began to operate “industrial-scale-farms” that were originally outside the “holistic philosophy” of the organic movement
    • Small farms make up 70% of the growers but only make 7% of the sales
    • Lobbyists from “Big Organic” might lobby to change the laws associated with organic requirements.
  • Organically grown foods only make up 0.5% of the crops grown on US land

The Safety of Organic Food

  • Organic Center published a review “confirming the nutrient superiority of plant-based organic foods.
    • The review was later denounced by many other scientists who criticized the statistics and said the article was not peer-reviewed.

The Mayo Clinic

  • The Mayo Clinic found no evidence that organic foods were any more nutritious than conventionally grown produce
  • The Mayo Clinic also questions whether organic foods are safer because they have fewer pesticides.
    • Stating, “Any possible benefit of reducing exposure to pesticides by eating organic is insignificant”

Associated Risks

  • Any type of food can be dangerous if not produced properly
    • Organic spinach contaminated with E.coli
    • Peanuts contaminated with Salmonella
  • One might say the risks are greater as the food crops are exposed to manure

Environmental Concerns

  • Organic food is thought to be “sustainable” because soil and water will not be contaminated with synthetic chemicals.
    • No run-off
  • However, the downside is all the land needed to rear the cattle to produce the manure.
    • Improper use of manure can also damage water sources, but its less common
  • Also, because the yield of organic farms is 50% less than that of conventionally farmed land we would need to double the land cultivated to feed everyone.
  • Several environmentally friendly procedures are not available to organic farmers
    • integrative pest management
    • certain soil treatments
    • no-till agriculture after herbicide use
    • recombinant plants expressing Bt
  • The best farming system for the planet is a combination of organic and conventional methods

Can Everyone Eat Organic?

  • In order to replace the Synthetic Nitrogen fertilizer currently being used would require increasing the number of cattle in the world from 1.3 billion to 9 billion
  • The US would need 1 billion more cattle and 2 billion additional acres of additional forage crops for them to eat.
    • That’s equal to all the land in Alaska

In Africa

  • In Africa, organic food is being grown for the European market and not for local consumption
  • The Yield is better than much of African agriculture because it does not benefit from improved farming methods.

Fair Trade Food

Divided we beg, United we Bargain → Worker’s Rights

  • Fair price
  • Fair Labor
  • Direct trade
  • Democratic and transparent organization
  • Community development

Environmental Sustainability

  • Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited.
  • Some chemicals can be used as a last resort in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
  • Environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health, and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations are used.

Criticisms of Fair Trade

  • food is more expensive to grow
  • farmers incur costs but don’t necessarily get the extra money consumers to pay
  • some fair trade farmers to get more donations than poorer non-fair trade farmers.

Overlap of Organic and Fair Trade

  • Some foods are both organic and fair trade.
  • Fairtrade is more about workers’ rights and compensation, so some practices that are allowed in fair trade may not be allowed in organic farming.
  • Organic food can be grown without respecting worker’s rights

Local Food

  • The Industrialized farming complex has pushed up the demand for “local food”
  • The average consumer is willing to pay more for locally produced food, especially when purchasing directly from the grower in farmer’s markets.
    • Reduced the costs of transport
    • The consumer perceives the food as fresher and wants to support their local economy

100 Mile Diet

  • 100-Mile Diet: food is grown within a 50-mile radius of where you live
  • Locavores: people who only eat local food
  • This won’t work for people in regions where the growing season is too short or the climate is too cold, too hot, or too dry

Will this reduce food miles?

  • Locally produced food does NOT reduce food miles because shipping in small quantities even short distances is not economic.
  • Bulk shipping of food by barge, rail, or ocean freight produces a very small carbon footprint per calorie of food.

So How do I reduce my Carbon Footprint?

  • Eating one less serving of red meat per week reduces carbon emissions as much as a 100% local diet.