December #4

Article/Link: Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals by Elisabeth Rosenthal; published: December 30, 2011; accessed: December 31, 2011

Article Summary:

            As the demand for organic produce grows larger and larger, the actual environmental sustainability practiced by organic farms is decreasing. Consumers don’t understand the carbon footprint that tomatoes in the grocery store in the dead of winter carry, regardless of whether those tomatoes are organic or not. Consumers blindly purchase organic produce, thinking that it is sustainable, when in reality; organic farms are depleting water resources and using lots of energy, especially because of the large distance the produce must travel to reach consumers. Organic tomato farms in Mexico are experiencing water shortages, as aquifers dry up due to overuse. Many activists suggest the organic certification process should be changed to make organic farmers adhere to a more environmentally friendly approach to farming, but the likelihood of a change like that is very slim. Although the establishment of new farms to grow organic produce year-round is helping the economy, in no means is this practice sustainable for the planet.

Vocabulary:

Word 1: Subsistence

A. In some areas, wells have run dry this year, meaning that small subsistence farmers cannot grow crops.

B. Zealot: “the source from which food and other items necessary to exist are obtained,” first used in 1400 and derived from the Latin word subsistentia (dictionary.reference.com)
C. The Turner Organic Garden at Woodstock is not a subsistence farm for Woodstock School, as Woodstock cooks must procure much produce and cooking supplies from elsewhere.

Word 2: Aquifer

A. They are focusing new farms in “microclimates” near underexploited aquifers, such as in the shadow of a mountain, said Fernando Frías, a water specialist with the environmental group Pronatura Noroeste.
B. Aquifer: “any geological formation containing or conducting ground water, especially one that supplies the water for wells, springs, etc,” first used in 1900 and derived from the French aquifere (dictionary.reference.com)
C. I believe Woodstock gets water from an aquifer, but the quality of the water in it must be very poor because the water at school tastes funny.

Word 3: Entomology

A. Del Cabo Cooperative, which serves as a broker for hundreds of local farmers, provides seeds for its Mexican growers and hires roving agronomists and entomologists to assist them in tending their crops without chemicals.
B. Entomology: “the branch of zoology dealing with insects,” first used in 1760 and from the word root entomo meaning “insects” and the word root logy meaning “study of.” (dictionary.reference.com) Entomologists are people who study the branch of zoology dealing with insects.
C. As far as I know, Woodstock doesn’t have any entomologists to study the strange bugs that show up in dorms and houses during the monsoon.
Response:

When I go to the grocery store in the middle of winter in chilly Seattle, I always find it silly to see the giant stacks of organic tomatoes in the produce aisle. To me, there is no point of buying tomatoes in the middle of winter here. Even though they may be organic, they are still coming from thousands of miles away, and have such a long journey that they don’t even taste very good. I think that this article really demonstrates how misleading organic labels can be. The government of the U.S. really needs to come up with a better certification process, because it’s misleading to consumers to label products as “organic”, a term many associate with environmental sustainability, when these products are not grown in a sustainable manner at all. Personally, I think the only way to be really sure of the environmental sustainability of your produce purchases is to buy local produce from farmers you know. When you purchase local products that are native to the climate you live in, the produce can be grown in a more sustainable fashion. Also, I think it’s important that you know your farmers, so you can ask them what practices they use. Shopping at farmers markets can be a great way to make that connection.