$50 mil to go Organic; I’ve gotta admit, I’ve got a couple of questions, and am a little skeptical.
Don’t get me wrong, organic agricultural practices produce way healthier, cleaner, natural food and have a lesser impact on degrading the farmland. But I’ve always believed that the local food movement was way more sustainable–it reduces the carbon footprint of farming by eliminating any globally shipped products, it supports local jobs, and is USUALLY natural and organic, because since the local farms are usually pretty small, what’s the need for fertilizers and synthetics for higher yields? PLUS, many of the local farms use organic practices, such as no-till, pesticide free pest control, and ‘natural nutrient management’, yet cannot afford this official USDA organic logo. If you think about it, only larger, more corporate farms have been able to afford purchasing this logo, and are shipping the products globally, which dramatically increases the carbon footprint.
Imagine; Obama in overalls...the 'White House farm'
Is there any way that the government can fund the expansion of local farmers’ organic, natural practices under-the-radar of officially USDA certified organic label? HERE COMES THE PROBLEM; How large can local go without becoming a corporate giant who finds it more profitable to ship products abroad? Will our future look like a sprinkle-sundae of millions of local farms providing for their area? Would that really be sustainable to devote such extensive amounts of land just so that it can be ‘local’?
If only we knew!
