Going Beyond Organic

In the post Does Organic Equal Sustainable, I discussed how most organic agriculture systems are not sustainable. Now it is time to talk more about what constitutes sustainable agriculture.

From my experience, sustainable food production systems are divided into at least 3 different camps: Sustainable Agriculture, Biodynamic Agriculture, and Permaculture. My personal preference is Permaculture, mainly because it aims to construct systems that mimic nature and reduce the amount of labor input required (once established). OK great, I picked the system that I feel is the best, now what? Time to go to class!

Georgia Permaculture is offering its 2nd annual Permaculture Design Course at Koinonia Farm in Americus, GA, February 8-19, 2010. See course description here. The idea is that after completing this course I will be able to design and implement permaculture systems that are appropriate for our geography. Once I acquire some land, I will install a permaculture system and use it to produce food for my family and sell the excess. I would also offer my design services to anyone that is interested.

How Much Are You Willing To Pay For Food?

Our food choices don’t just affect us financially; they also affect our planet, health, and quality of life. The Sierra Club has started the True Cost of Food campaign to spread the word about hidden costs in mass-produced (“cheap”) food and about alternatives that are kinder to the planet and better for us.

The True Cost Of Food
by ivanwave

What we choose to eat is one area where individual decisions can make a difference. If we continue to demand better food, the supply will follow. To better understand the current state of our food system, here is a quick overview:

1. The way food is produced and the way we eat create huge costs that are not reflected in our food bills. Some are actual dollar amounts (subsidies and cleanup costs that we pay for in taxes); some are damage to the environment (pollution and loss of wildlife habitat); some are loss of quality of life (tasteless food, loss of the pleasure of preparing food and eating together); and some are health issues (obesity, diseases, poor nutrition, contaminated food).
2. Agribusiness farms employ chemical-intensive systems that pollute land, air, and water.
3. We transport much of our food from centralized factory farms - instead of buying it from local sources - which is a poor use of resources and a contributor to air and water pollution.
4. We’re losing our wild places because of wasteful agricultural practices such as uncontrolled grazing and fattening up animals with diets of factory-farm corn.
5. Americans get much of their meat from pollution-causing factory farms and feedlots.
6. More and more of our food production is controlled by a few large producers. Buying from small, independent producers allows us some input into how our food is grown.
   

This system has come about through the emphasis on short-term gains with little to no thought about long-term impacts. We can’t completely blame the food producers, processors, and retailers or our government; we consumers have also demanded this "cheap" food.

Here are a few simple things that you can do to vote for an improved food system:

1. Eat more vegetables, fruit, and grains and less meat. Look for meat that is produced in the least harmful way - grass fed, organic, antibiotic- and hormone-free
   
2. Buy organic whenever you can
   
3. Buy from small, local sources whenever you can
   

Where do I get my food from?
Personally, I am willing to pay extra upfront for healthy, sustainable, local food. I try and grow as much food as possible but also am a CSA member at Cane Creek Farm and just joined the meat CSA offered by Riverview Farms that drops off at 5 Seasons Brewing on Old Milton. To help reduce costs, I cook simple meals that use a lot of vegetables, beans, and whole grains; and use meat in moderation.

Here are a few additional few resources to help:
Alpharetta Farmers Market
Georgia Organics Local Food Guide Map
Localharvest
The Grassfed Gourmet: Healthy Cooking and Good Living with Pasture-Raised Foods

A Community’s Collective Knowledge

For the past few years, I have slowly been re-learning skills that were pervasive just a generation or two ago, but had almost entirely disappeared with the arrival of cheap oil. These skills are generally related to homesteading, a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency. They include anything from growing your own food to making hard cider to raising chickens. The latest ones I am looking into are brewing kombucha, designing permaculture systems, and organic farming/gardening.

I am not the only one learning these homesteading skills...the general public seems to be showing a renewed interest as well. This has been credited to the unstable gas prices/peak oil, the economic recession, the “green” movement, a rejection of the industrial food system, etc. Information resources are exploding. Most of this information is available in books and on websites, but until recently, there have been few local resources available to teach these valuable skills.

As the idea of a Sustainable Alpharetta continues to grow, we should start gathering, nurturing, and sharing this knowledge. Personally, I have an overwhelming desire to learn new things (know a little bit about everything and a lot about many) and can be an effective teacher to an eager audience. One area I need help is getting the word out in the community…I can only do so much standing on my e-soapbox. Please share this website with your family, friends, church, organization, etc. and provide me with feedback on what else I can do for you and Alpharetta.

Here is an excellent resource that I have just started reading: The Backyard Homestead