However, the USDA has promised to present another proposal, and though they have repeatedly stated there is no hidden agenda or ulterior motives behind their proposals, it is anyone's guess what they will come up with. The unfortunate reality is that agribusiness is well represented by a powerful lobbying network and they are well aware of the dramatic rise in public interest in organic food and agriculture. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that agribusiness wants in on the projected profits from organics, but they don't want to have to play by the rules.
Organic farmers nurture the land, producing healthy, nutritious, great-tasting food. People who buy this food know where it comes from and feel connected to the earth and the web of life. In the deepest sense, the relationship between organic farmers and their customers is one of community. All one need do to experience this is attend a local farmers market. Listen to the banter between the growers and their customers, to neighbors commenting on who has the best of this or that, to the folk musicians providing ambiance.
Contrast this happy scene with the agribusiness approach to food production and distribution. Uncaring corporations spread a deluge of poisons over the land and ship their obviously tainted products far and wide to mostly uninformed consumers. This "food" is then handled numerous times, dramatically increasing the risk of added contamination. Meanwhile, toxins accumulate in the soil while nutrients are depleted and the water table is sucked lower and lower. Every year more than two million acres of once fertile land must be abandoned.
It would appear that our course is clear: we should stand our ground on the integrity of organic standards. We should educate people on the benefits of organically grown foods. And we should continue to foster the community building that comes with person-to-person economics.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1998
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited