Un-Certified
In a post from the past I may have mentioned something like, hmmmm…. well, let’s see… what I said was: ‘I’m not saying you should only buy organic. I’m saying you should only buy local.’ Thank you, link to the past. I appreciate you being there.
Let’s talk about that. Organic is good, yes. And if you’re buying organic, good job you! And thanks for doing your part. Want to save money AND do even more to promote agriculture that really feeds people? Oh good! I knew you’d want to know more…
So, certified organic is a label. It’s an expensive label. We talked a little about the farmers’ market over there in the post of the past too. See where I’m going here?
The farmers in your community are working very hard, but are not likely making enough to buy that certification. Or maybe, they know something that we don’t.
My friends at In Good Heart Farm say, “We don't choose to certify because we are not particularly fans of the organic label. It doesn't mean what it used to. Also, while it's great more farms are growing using organic methods, organic doesn't equal sustainable or even pesticide-free. Large scale industrial organic farms still exploit the soil and people. We also don't use the organic label because we sell our produce directly. There are no middlemen/women. We don't need the label because we have the trust. Because our patrons and members know us. They come to the farm. And they trust we aren't poisoning the soil, our environment, or them.”
There’s a lot of good work being done the right way out there, and these are the people we need to support. If figuring out who to support in this feels daunting, I understand. If you take nothing else away from this, just find real people. The grocery store’s organic is not even close to the goodness and quality that can only be cultivated within your own community’s soil.
Look for sustainable agriculture, or un-certified organic. It won’t be found on a label. You might find it somewhere on the farm’s website, or a nice human will say the words to you as you have a pleasant moment connecting over vegetables - a most delicious exchange always.
What’s the difference in sustainable and organic? Sustainable is unofficial, but measurable. It's water efficient, energy efficient, low emission, and more humane. Sustainable extends beyond the food.*
Sustainable agriculture practices are intended to protect the environment, expand the earth’s natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility,** or so that’s what the US Department of Agriculture says.
Oh, okay! You need an example? I understand. Let’s see what kind of good work is being done by some of these farmers. And since we’ve already introduced them…
In Good Heart is an un-certified organic farm in North Carolina. I was going to write a bit about them, but it turns out… I cannot do a better job than they in making my point, and pulling that straight from their About page.
“We grow year round using various season extension tools, proper variety selection, & a few different marketing channels, namely CSA, markets & restaurants. We are passionate about growing healthy food for a healthy planet. We believe everyone has a right to chemical-free, GMO free food. This year, 10% of our membership were community members in need. We are able to provide partially and fully subsidized CSA shares to folks due to a variety of factors, but mostly, because our CSA members rock & they help pay it forward!
In 2017 + 2018 we worked with Fresh Farm Foods for Healthy Kids to provide CSA shares to low-income families with young children. We also participate in cooking & nutrition programs to folks who can really use these programs paired with CSA shares from us. We helped found such a program, Farm it Forward, with partners such as The Interfaith Food Shuttle, Wake County Cooperative Extension, Advocates for Health into Action, & Wake Med’s Energize program. We currently also accept EBT payments and are working on a system for offering more CSA shares with bi-weekly EBT payments.
If you would like to contribute to our sponsored CSA share program for the 2020 Spring, Fall, + Winter Seasons, you may do so via PayPal here. If you would like to partner with us in any capacity to feed people, please contact us with more information! Patricia is currently a member of the Board of Directors at CORA Food Pantry + Ben is on the Agricultural Advisory Board for Chatham County. We believe in being full participants in our community.
Our mission is to strive for healthier people, community, agriculture & planet by growing & sharing the best tasting food we can. In Good Heart has a lot of meanings, but we decided on the name based on the Old English use of the phrase. To say that the soil is in good heart is to say that it is healthy, in good cultivation, & in good spirit. To say that a person is in good heart is to say they are cultivating wisdom, courage & spirit. We feel that our farm name should represent our vision & we couldn’t think of a better representation of what we want to do & be in the world than in good heart.”
Patricia was kind enough to back and forth with me a little about all this. She is pretty easily one of the smartest humans I have ever known. Her intelligence and awareness collides to bring conscious care and responsive action to wherever her hard-working hands can reach.
She says that we need “to think about how important small scale agriculture is for finding solutions to our major ecological and social crises, including the pandemic. Factory farming and development are contributing to our problems and are not feeding the world. Most food is still grown by peasants, and women to boot.
Let me say that again, most food grown and eaten by people on this planet is grown by peasants.”
She then pointed me into the direction of a very big rabbit hole that I’ve been down for days. She told me to google "peasants feed the world" for all sorts of reputable sources with data to back the claim.
Nutshell: Peasants are the main or sole food providers to more than 70% of the world’s people, and peasants produce this food with less than 25% of the resources – including land, water, and fossil fuels – used to get all of the world’s food to the table.***
For now, if you want to jump in for yourself… check these out!
Podcast Episode: Peasant Women Feed the World
Via Campesina: Sustainable Peasant & Family Farm Agriculture Can Feed the World
Circling back… this is what I’m like. Thank you for understanding. It’s messy in here.
The point is: sustainable and un-certified organic from incredible, and also real, humans in your community - that’s what we’re all looking for now.
Also, yes, not to brag or anything… but I am friends with these people, and it makes me feel VERY cool! And also, yes, I am leaving every one of those links in there. Do what you will with any and all of this information. Thank you.
I mean… just… swoon… Patricia, did you arrange these vegetables?
Whoever it was just etched in stone my absolute adoration of their eye for beauty. I see it. I totally get it.
Ahhhh, David Wilcox gets it too, and comically to boot. I like funny people who agree with me. We should be friends, Dave. Can I call ya Dave? How ‘bout D dubya?
Just in case because I don’t really know the rules, and don’t want to have to learn them today…
Sites sourced:
*https://www.thebalancesmb.com/difference-organic-sustainable-food-2538316
**https://nifa.usda.gov/topic/sustainable-agriculture
***https://cban.ca/gmos/issues/feeding-the-world/
