Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture involves producing food in ways that respect the environment, respect workers, provide fair wages to farmers, are humane to animals, and support local communities. It also results in great-tasting, nutritious food!
Why eat sustainably?
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Do it for the taste.
º |
Savor a freshly harvested organic heirloom tomato from your local farmers’
market. Next, munch on the conventionally-grown “tomato” purchased at your
supermarket. You’ll understand. |
Do it for your health.
º |
Sustainably-grown food is more nutritious. Foods from sustainably-raised
animals contain more omega-3 fats, higher vitamin content, less saturated fat, and
fewer pathogens than those from conventionally raised animals. Sustainablygrown
produce has higher phytochemical, vitamin and mineral content. |
• Do it for the workers
º |
Farmworkers on conventional farms are exposed to toxic chemicals, rarely paid a
livable wage, and highly exploited. Slaughterhouse work is considered the most
dangerous job in the U.S. In contrast, when food is grown or raised sustainably,
workers’ health, safety and financial needs are respected. |
• Do it for the environment.
º |
Unsustainable practices pollute the soil, air and water, squander valuable natural
resources, harm wildlife, and contribute to global warming. Sustainably-grown
food preserves and nurtures resources. |
• Do it for the animal.
º |
In factory farms, animals are treated as commodities, not living, breathing,
sentient beings. They are often crammed into small spaces with no access to
sunlight or room to turn around, and subject to painful mutilation procedures such
as debeaking, fire branding, or castration. Sustainable practices respect the
animals and protect them from unnecessary suffering. |
• Do it for your community.
º |
The conventional food system is built on a foundation of impersonal, economic
relationships. The legal mandate of corporations dictates the need to prioritize
shareholder profits. Health and environmental concerns only play a role when in
the corporation’s financial interest. Sustainable farmers, on the other hand, are
individuals who care about their land, their neighbors, and their customers. They
help us stay connected to how our food is grown, and give us the opportunity to
restore integrity to our relationships with each other and with the earth. |
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Download a pdf, which includes this information and a second page of resources.
More depth can be found in my manuscript-in-progress,
Eat Well: For your Self, For the World.
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