Transforming the Agricultural System

There is an urgent need to identify the alternative agriculture methods available to assure long-term sustainability and food security (Padmavathy & Poyyamoli, 2011). The paradigm shift from an economic to an ecological one is gradually taking place in small pockets of movements of alternative agriculture all over the world such as the socio-ecological production landscapes of the Satoyama Initiative (CBD, 2010); organic agriculture in California (Schreck et al, 2012) and organic gardening in Ohio (Holben, 2011); community gardens in the UK (Holland, 2004) and urban agriculture in China (Li and YuKun, 2011); biodynamics, community supported agriculture (CSA) and farmers markets (King, 2012); permaculture in Australia (Copeman, year?) and regenerative agriculture (Rhodes, 2012); agri-ecological systems (King, 2012) and application of systems theory (Smith et al, year?); and many other alternative farming techniques (Padmavathy & Poyyamoli, 2011). All of these emphasize a gradual energy descent, reduction of consumption, localization and community-based initiatives, resiliency, and working with nature. Community-based initiatives, local efforts, and social movements are working towards self-sufficiency and are poised to change the current agrarian model. According to agroecology advocate, Miguel Altieri of UC Berkley, in his lecture on Agroecology at Cornell University in 2009, “Small farmers are [the] key for the world’s food security.” He also stated that “small biodiverse farms are more productive; small biodiverse farms are more resilient and adaptive to climate stresses.”

A major force in the move towards sustainable development was formulated in the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 with its Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 or LA21 (Holland, 2004). Although the Earth Summit is more aligned towards sustainably feeding the world under an economic paradigm, LA21 enabled the facilitation of local and community-based initiatives like the community garden movement in the UK (Holland, 2004). Under sustainable practices, gardening can have a positive impact in the conservation of the natural environment and local food production (Holben, 2011). 

Another view of sustainable food production is being pushed by the field of agricultural biotechnology. The claim of biotechnology companies suggest that the research and development of genetically modified organisms (GMO) will help feed the world and end poverty (Altieri and Rosset). The rationalization for this method of agriculture is based on the call to eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides which are byproducts of fossil fuels and are believed to be dangerous to soil and human health (Altieri and Rosset). Modifying the genetic code of crops will make it more resilient to climate change and pests thus producing more yields and feeding more people (Altieri and Rosset). What concerns practitioners of alternative agriculture about this approach is not only about assurance of food safety but the preservation and maintenance of conventional large-scale mono-cropping systems that still uphold consumerism and food production within a globalized economic paradigm. “Where sustainability and community health issues are considered, the usual emphasis is on how these traditional systems might be adapted or managed to reduce environmental or health impacts (within the current economic and production paradigm)” (King, 2012).

The Environmental Cost of Unsustainable Food Production

Current conventional and industrial agricultural practices, such as commercial-scale mono-cropping of corn, rice, wheat and soy, created a large gap between agriculture and the sustainable management of the environment and our natural resources (King, 2012). Associated with these are the issues of poverty and food security for the struggling “Third World” which is currently experiencing the worst effects brought about by climate change, overpopulation, and overexploitation of natural resources due to the demands of economic development (Padmavathy & Poyyamoli, 2011). While the aim is to provide the world’s exponentially growing population with a sustainable food supply, the problem still lies on the dependence on energy derived from fossil fuels to produce a large amount of food in the least amount of time (Hosking, 2008). Newly discovered energy reserves and alternative sources of energy, such as biofuels from land-intensive crops and shale oil extracted by fracking, merely delay our ascent to peak oil (Rhodes, 2012). 

Advances in technology led to the mechanization of agricultural labor and the rural-urban migration resulted in half of the world’s population residing in cities (Rhodes, 2012). This led to more inefficient and unsustainable energy consumption manifesting in the form of pollution from increased use of transportation and increased carbon footprint from importation of processed food products (Hosking, 2008). A globalized economic paradigm encourages exports from least industrialized nations in exchange for mere, sometimes unjust, profit from imports made by most industrialized nations (Veteto & Lockyer, 2008). It is within this complex global context of capitalism and conventional (or industrial) agriculture that our human-environment relations are compromised and become unsustainable (Veteto & Lockyer, 2008). Unfortunately, most government agencies, private and multinational corporations, and academic institutions currently operate and exist within this context (King, 2012). 

 Real sustainability of food production requires the systematic integration of social, environmental, and economic concerns from local, national to international levels of policy-making (Holland, 2004). To truly address the sustainability of food production, a paradigm shift is needed—a shift from an economic to an ecological paradigm (King, 2012).

Food that Didn't Make it to the Table (Pt. 1)

I went to our Good Food Community farms up north and saw the abundance of food that didn't even make it to the market. In this article, I'll share some thoughts on how to give organic agriculture a fighting chance against the big boys of conventional farming through CSA.

If you don't trust the supermarket anymore, growing your own food in your own backyard seems to be the most logical (and trendy!) thing to do if you want to eat safe and organic vegetables. It's a satisfying process. From germinating the seeds to harvesting and cooking it ala Jamie Oliver, it's an experience that gives you satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

I envision a world where every home has a functional garden. A place where we can spend our idle moments and work on things that would give us life. You know, instead of watching TV and playing games on the computer for hours.

Unfortunately, most of us have fallen into a trap wherein spare time has become a rarity. Realistically speaking, not all of us have time for maintaining a fully-functioning garden. Enumerate your reasons here: ________.

The world has been unfair to us organic farmers. To be certified organic, we have to fork out thousands of Pesos to get each of our crops certified every year. And to make up for the cost, we need to sell in a niche market with premium prices. It's just not practical. (Majority of us are not certified, FYI. People just trust us)

The reality is organic farmers simply just can't compete with conventional farmers who can stock supermarket shelves everyday with shiny produce. The latter can grow vegetables faster and more efficiently thanks to synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and employing environmentally-harmful methods like stripping an entire mountain bare and planting broccoli...imagine a broccoli mountain! Talk about ecological imbalance.

Conventional farmers can sell their produce at a significantly lower price because they simply have enough "technology" to produce more. They're large-scale vegetable manufacturers.

 

If we really intend to live healthy and save a dying planet, we need to make bold moves.

Here are two ways you can give organic agriculture a fighting chance:

1) As stated above, grow your own vegetables;

2) And subscribe to a CSA (community shared/supported agriculture)

Organic farmers just can't stock shelves the way conventional farmers do. And the conventional market setup simply won't work for them. The CSA model gives them assurance of market demand, profit and capital for the next season from their loving and trusting clients. It gives them a reason to keep on going as they demonstrate to other farmers that organic agriculture can be a very financially-rewarding career that can take care of their families. In the future, it should make no sense not to buy organic produce!

How does CSA work? There are 2 groups who share similar approaches to the CSA  business model. One is an established group while the other is a start-up:

1) Good Food Community, Quezon City

Contact Details: hello@goodfoodcommunity.com; 0906-433-2324

Type: Social Enterprise

Range: Metro Manila

Sources: Capas, Tarlac; La Trinidad, Benguet; and Bauko, Mt. Province

Payment: Upfront (farmers get the money upon payment)

Style: Subscriptions (4-week and 12-week commitments)

Clients: Subscribers/Stakeholders

Vegetable Options: Pre-assembled basket sets - Bayong Pambahay (for cooking); Salad Pack; and Juice Pack

Advantage/s: Farmers can plan what and how much to plant based on the number of subscribers. Good Food Community does the marketing for them, helping the farmers focus on production.

Thrill: Subscribers are informed of the contents of the baskets 2 days before the delivery. Subscribers can visit the farms.

2) The Beige Table, Los Banos (starting in May 2015)

Contact Details: 0922-455-0522

Type: Vegetable Stand

Range: Los Banos

Sources: Nu Wave Farmers, Los Banos

Payment: Upfront/Prepaid

Style: Membership (Monthly and quarterly membership options)

Clients: Members

Vegetable Options: Any vegetable on display at the stand

Advantage/s: Members can choose which vegetables to get which they already paid for at discounted prices. Farmers get to coordinate and program what crops to grow so nothing goes to waste.

Thrill: The farms are nearby and the members can visit as often as they like.

Organic agriculture is still truckloads away from being able to accomplish what conventional agriculture has done in terms of providing a stable food supply. Well, at the expense of degrading the environment. But we can do something to change that. We have soooo much organic produce lying around in our local farms and they need to go somewhere and nourish someone. 

Think about how you can help: grow your own or simply support others who do.