 | |||||
|
Welcome
to the Idyllwild Earth Fair | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| ECO-HEALTH |
|
ORGANIC |
| 1. PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children. ---Lester Brown The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices you make now will impact your childs health in the future. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that more than 3 billion tons of topsoil are eroded from United States croplands each year. That means soil is eroding seven times faster than it is being built up naturally. Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming. But in conventional farming the soil is used more as a medium for holding plants in a vertical position so they can be chemically fertilized. As a result, American farms are suffering from the worst soil erosion in history. Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Despite its importance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates pesticides-some cancer causing-contaminate the groundwater in 38 states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the countrys population. American farms have changed drastically in the last three generations, from family-based small businesses dependent on human energy to large-scale factory farms highly dependent on fossil fuels. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the countrys total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the United States. Organic farming is still mainly based on labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures and crop covers rather than synthetic fertilizers to build up soil. Organic produce also tends to travel fewer miles from field to table. Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered long before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetimes. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also be harmful to humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation. A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had a six times greater risk than non-farmers of contracting cancer. In California, reported pesticide poisonings among farm workers have risen an average of 14 percent a year since 1973, and doubled between 1975 and 1985. Field workers suffer the highest rates of occupational illness in the state. Farm worker health also is a serious problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can be poorly regulated. An estimated 1 million people are poisoned annually by pesticides. Although more and more large-scale farms are making the conversion to organic practices, most organic farms are small independently owned and operated family farms of less than100 acres. Its estimated that the United States has lost more than 650,000 family farms in the past decade. And with the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting that half of this countrys farm production will come from 1 percent of farms by the year 2000, organic farming could be one of the few survival tactics left for family farms. Although organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods, conventional food prices do not reflect hidden costs borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion in federal subsidies in 1988. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean-up, and environmental damage. Author Gary Null says If...you add in the real environmental and social costs of irrigation to a head lettuce, its price can range between $2 and $3. Mono-cropping is the practice of planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year. While this approach tripled farm production between 1950 and 1970, the lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural minerals and nutrients. To replace the nutrients,chemical fertilizers are used often in increasing amounts. Single crops are also much more susceptible to pests, making farmers more reliant on pesticides. Despite a tenfold increase in the use of pesticides between 1947 and 1974, crop losses due to insects have doubled--partly because some insects have become genetically resistant to certain pesticides. Theres a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes--they taste better! Organic farming starts with thenourishment of the soil which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately, our palates. |
Biodynamic Farming and Gardening CA Certified Organic Farmers(CCOF) CA Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets Committee for Sustainable Agraculture IFOAM (International Foundation of Organic Agriculture Movements) National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture Organic Materials Review Institute RAFI(Rural Advancement Foundation International) Sustainable Farming Connection
|
. |
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; One way to support small farmers and their cooperatives is to buy locally produced food. Buying local supports small farmers because a greater share of your food dollar goes to the farmer or rancher. When you shop at a chain grocery store, the farmer receives only a few cents of every dollar you spend. But when you purchase directly from farmers through farmers markets, roadside stands, Community Supported Agriculture or other subscription programs, the entire amount goes to the farmer. Using the Internet
to Buy Locally Produced Food
|