At the turn of the 20th century, over 90% of the population of the United States was somehow engaged in farming, at some level. A century later, less than 1% of the population is involved in agriculture. As a result of that shift in first-hand knowledge, very few people understand the fundamental nature of the farming practices that are of interest to the general population again.
Much of the reason that the state of the food quality in North America has become so out of control, in the eyes of many, is this lack of participation by the populace and the influence of agribusiness. Such companies have sprung up since the 1970s, causing farms to get bigger and bigger, vertically integrate with the oil companies that make chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and become reliant upon deals that have tended to sacrifice food quality and nutrition for size and weight.
For instance, there are many different and controversial farming practices. Such practices can have an adverse effect upon the local ecosystem, food quality and human health. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and USDA (US Department of Agriculture) were created to assist farmers and protect consumers. However, they often protect business and look the other way when they can.
For instance, a food dye that is also a known carcinogen is routinely injected into the skins of oranges in the US in an effort to make them look more orange on market shelves. Though it’s assumed that most people won’t eat the skin, anyone who has ever tasted an orange knows this is dangerously untrue. And, that’s just one example of a common “conventional” farming practice that can have potentially deadly side effects when consumed over a lifetime.
When the general public becomes aware of such farming practices, there is very often an overwhelming outcry against them and the farmers who use them. As a result of this reaction, the few (almost exclusively men over 60) who do work in what is now called “conventional” agriculture feel besieged by such attacks. Such criticism that comes from people who don’t know the hardships that face farming creates a class conflict that is often difficult to overcome.
However, it is very important that anyone who eats understands, on some level, what is involved in farming, so they can make good choices. The creation of the USDA Organic standard was meant to be a brand that people could support without having to know what that really entails, since the concepts are complicated enough to encompass entire years in an agricultural college, now that a few of them are teaching organic methodology.
One of the hallmarks of organic or sustainable farming is a care for the local environment. Even if a farm isn’t actually certified by a third-party agency on behalf of the USDA, sustainable practices are designed to work with (rather than against) the natural environment. Taking inspiration from the complex ecosystems that balance each element in nature, such farming practices fundamentally differ from “conventional” farming.
In fact, agribusiness-inspired “conventional” farming practices are a relatively recent invention. In 1900, all farming was organic because there was no other way. As early as 1940, just a few years after chemical pesticides and fertilizers were introduced, the term organic was coined and a return to previous farming practices was called for.
Another difference between the farms of yesterday with the “conventional” model is the sheer amount of energy that is embedded in each act or amendment applied. With the exception of a few mined minerals and compounds, the vast amounts of energy that now characterize farming were also rather recently invented. Hence the call to “get big or get out” went up during the 1970s at the behest of big agribusiness.
During that time, it was deemed far more cost effective to breed a crop that was grown for agronomic characteristics such as shippabilty and a very uniform development that ensures only one pass with a giant harvesting machine is necessary. You will notice that taste, nutrition and pest tolerance are not part of these requirements. In fact, the requirements of getting a crop to market over the typical 1,300 miles a given fruit or vegetable might travel to reach the supermarket causes plant breeders to choose transportability and compatibility with mechanization over everything else.
For this and many other reasons, the quality of the food you purchase or grow is fundamentally influenced by the farming practices used. It is well worth anyone’s while to learn more about farming practices in order to make good choices for themselves and the environment.
