I’ve started a blog series on my work blog – the Daily Table. You can read the first installment (explaining what I hope to do) here….
(This is the second installment of Diane Hatz’s series – Sustainable Table’s Guide to Good Food.)
Exactly what are sustainable farming and/or sustainable food, and what is organic agriculture? Those are questions I hear quite often. A general concept of organic has been seeping into the mainstream, but many people are still confused by both terms. And to make it even more confusing, organic can be sustainable and sustainable can be organic, but they don’t have to be. What?
To start with, sustainable farming is more of a concept or a philosophy than a literal definition. With sustainable farming, food is raised that’s healthy for consumers, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities. At Sustainable Table, we also believe that sustainable food should be grown as close to home as possible.
Yes, that is a bit of a mouthful – a shorter answer would be to say that sustainable farming provides food that’s healthy for consumers, farmers, the environment, animals, and local communities.
The challenge with sustainable is that there isn’t a government approved label or certification system, so you need to educate yourself and ask questions before you buy. Also, there is no standard for what’s healthy for consumers or humane for workers. There is no chart saying when the environment begins to be harmed, and so on. That means that each of us has to learn as much as we can about the issues and decide what we think is best. We’re not here to tell you what to do – we’re here to give you information, encouragement and perhaps advice; but it’s up to you to decide what you think is best for yourself.
Since 2002, organic food has been regulated by the government. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines organic agriculture as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.”
Another mouthful. To put it more simply, with organic farming
• most synthetic (and petroleum derived) pesticides and fertilizers are prohibited;
• all antibiotics, genetic engineering, irradiation and sewage sludge are prohibited;
• all organically produced animals must have access to outdoors and be fed organic feed; and
• all processed products labeled organic must have 95% organic ingredients.
They look rather similar, don’t they? But there are differences…. Let’s do a comparison.
