First, a personal note: I am moving home and have sporadic Internet access so posting is slow. But I do not like to drop a Friday in the series so here is a quick post. A Farmer-to-Farmer Blog Carnival takes place next week which would be interesting, I look forward to learning a lot! The link is here.
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Modern Farmer has a nice piece on the Founding Fathers’ agrarian interests. The image (above) is a recreation of a farm in colonial times in Williamsburg, VA.
Happy 4th everyone!
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Every year tears are shed over rocketing onion prices in India. Here is why it happens and an idea of how it can be avoided. Can the new government exert its will and make these changes?
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When I first started reading about the food system and following discussions on social media, it took no time at all to realize that there was a sharp divide in this world: “organic” to this side, “conventional” to the other and judging by the shrillness of the debate, never the twain would meet. But I am now learning that each of these worlds has their own variations, differences of opinion and intense debate. In the organic community there is a debate over the use of natural substances as opposed to synthetic ones. While some organic farmers see the utility of substances which may not have been used historically but are useful today, others remain firm on excluding synthetic substances.
There are no magical powers attached to one or the other set of substances: an organic pesticide like rotenone can be more hazardous that synthetic pesticides and arsenic or mercury which are poisonous occur in nature. Part of this attachment to “natural” is fueled, I suspect by all those memes of scary syringes stuck in produce by people in lab coats. While the Internet may helpfully suggest a mix of salt, vinegar and dish soap as gentler, more natural alternative to other synthetic weed killers, this study showed that both are as gentle and as effective, it all depends on how they are used.
A lot of misinformation floats around about both types of farming: while there have vocal demands for labeling foods containing GMOs , not many consumers realize that organic producers are not overseen by the USDA and in fact, the organic certification comes from the National Organic Standards Board (how many of us had heard of this?). This Board is now protesting any involvement by the USDA.
And while we are all getting worked up about which system is better or “purer”, climate change is casting its shadow over our crops, even grape juice , it turns out, will not go untouched! Let us focus on the main thing here: the planet is at a point of crisis. It is time to focus on adopting all those tools and practices that can help us ensure that the growing population can be fed in a way that exerts the minimum pressure on the environment. Can we agree to stop arguing about just two systems and widen our approach to adopt practices that would keep production growing with demand in a way that is compatible with the new climate reality we are living?
In which a blimp pilot, a chef, an international development consultant and a former restaurant worker decide to try their hand at farming, and, despite a polar vortex winter, decide to carry on with their adventure! Stories from Montgomery County, MD.
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Fortified bananas to combat Vitamin A deficiency proposed for Uganda.
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#Farming Friday 18: How has your summer been so far? Here is how it was for this farmer:
It is often said that the hardest things in life are the most rewarding. That nothing good comes easy.
I hope they’re right, because 2014’s planting season was anything but easy.
The long, drawn out affair that was #plant14 has finally drawn to a close for Leguee Farms. It was a season full of challenges; from the frustrations of setting up a new drill, to the apprehension and anger over rain that just wouldn’t quit, this year’s seeding operation was difficult, discouraging and nerve-wracking, to say the least.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the wet weather cycle we were in started to fade, giving us the window we needed to finish seeding. A severe storm on the 26th of May stopped us for quite some time, and even when we did get back to the field, we were shocked at just how wet it was. While…
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Important point here about respecting the farmer’s expertise and knowledge. Food policy shouldnot revolve solely around consumer concerns which are often manipulated by industry interests.
My thoughts on the whole biotech issue here in Hawaii… When you’re a doctor, your authority is respected. You can decide the treatment for your patients and the kind of medicines that you will prescribe. When you’re a dentist, you are also allowed to decide your plan of care for that resident. These professionals have gone to school and training to get the expertise that they do to work in their respected fields. They hold the expertise to do what they do.
The general public and politicians are not allowed to dictate to these professionals what their clinical decisions will be. It is just not in their scope or expertise to take up such roles and is unethical for them to decide that.
Given that, why the heck are we allowing the general public and politicians to be given full authority to decide for farmers what they can and can’t…
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Thought + Food 