Reclaiming the future of food and farming

organic agriculture

Marcia Ishii-Eiteman's picture

Agroecological farming — better than ever

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

 

Organic farmers who use agroecological practices build healthy soil, conserve water, protect pollinators and keep the air and water clear of harmful pesticides. We owe them thanks for this. They also produce bountiful crops.

Yesterday, these hard-working farmers received an important boost of recognition from the scientific community with the release of findings from a major new study comparing the productivity of organic and conventional farming.

Dec 10, 2014
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman
Tags: 
agroecology
organic agriculture
organic farming
Pesticide Action Network's picture

Keep food safety rules fair

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

Food safety matters to us all, and we all play a role in keeping food safe — from farm to fork. With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalizing new food safety rules, it's critical for farmers and eaters alike to speak up and ensure the agency gets these rules right.

As our friends from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) point out, provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) — if done wrong — run the risk of "putting farmers out of business, limiting consumer choice, and increasing the use of chemicals rather than natural fertilizers."

Dec 10, 2014
Pesticide Actio...
Tags: 
agroecology
organic agriculture
food safety
Kristin Schafer's picture

Pediatricians enter the organic debate. Media miss the boat.

Yesterday the American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on organic food. They found that "an organic diet reduces children's exposure to pesticides," and highlighted studies linking pesticides with many of the childhood health harms included in PAN's recent report, A Generation in Jeopardy.

Unfortunately, media coverage of APA's report has been all over the map. And given the power of headlines to shape public debate in ways that directly impact policymakers' appetite for taking on tough issues, this failure on the part of news desks and editors to report the substance of the science accurately is a serious problem.

Oct 23, 2012
Kristin Schafer
Tags: 
Children's health
organic agriculture
residues
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman's picture

Organic vs Conventional. Is that really the question?

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

Media are all atwitter about a new Nature study by researchers at McGill University and the University of Minnesota that compares organic and conventional yields from 66 studies and over 300 trials. In extrapolating the study's findings to the charged question of how to feed the world, more than a few got it all wrong.

The core finding of the study is that “yield differences [between organic and conventional] are highly contextual, depending on system and site characteristics.” In other words, sometimes organic does better, sometimes conventional does. In fact, the sheer variety of comparisons led Mother Jones columnist Tom Philpott to observe that the study “like a good buffet… offered something for every taste.” 

May 3, 2012
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman
Tags: 
food security
organic agriculture
Feeding the world
Margaret Reeves's picture

Organic farming better for bottom line

There is nothing “niche” about the recent story on the economics of organic farming in the Agronomy Journal.

The journal reports on an 18-year study demonstrating that organic crop rotation is consistently more profitable than conventional corn and soybean production, even when organic price premiums are cut by half. That is very good news for both organic producers and the agricultural economies in which they operate.

Oct 12, 2011
Margaret Reeves
Tags: 
organic agriculture
Pesticide Action Network's picture

Hopeful happenings in CA agriculture

Yesterday in Sacramento, CA, a new convening of sustainable ag forces held its first public meeting on the state of organic and sustainable agriculture in California. PAN traveled there to speak before the Select Committee on Sustainable and Organic Agriculture.

PAN's program coordinator Devika Ghai made the daylong journey to deliver a message:

"We urge you to be bold, practical and responsive to the realities of the timeline against which we are now working. 

Jul 14, 2011
Pesticide Actio...
Tags: 
organic agriculture
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman's picture

Agroecological farming can double food produx in 10 yrs

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

A new UN report released today is making headlines: Agroecological farming can double food production within 10 years, while mitigating climate change AND alleviating poverty.

Yes!! I was elated to read the morning’s coverage of this highly anticipated report from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter. I've been writing on the very real need to prioritize policy support for and investments in agroecology for quite some time, but it is truly encouraging to see such a clear, affirming statement coming from the UN.

Mar 8, 2011
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman
Tags: 
agriculture
food security
agroecology
global hunger
sustainable agriculture
organic agriculture
climate change
Margaret Reeves's picture

Coalition mobilizes to protect climate-friendly farming

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

With tobacco, lead and alcohol we ultimately acted with precaution when the science on human health effects raised red flags – and we’ve saved millions of lives.

So what do you call it—wise, fiscally responsible, necessary?— when we act to promote farm practices that protect the natural resources that allow us to produce abundant, healthy food, even though the science on just how this is accomplished is not yet complete? Organic or ecological agriculture promises to do this and more. It also helps maintain vibrant rural economies and save lives by providing nutrient-rich food and eliminating the use of highly hazardous pesticides. Scientists now know that it can also help mitigate climate change.

Mar 2, 2011
Margaret Reeves
Tags: 
agroecology
organic agriculture
climate change
Pesticide Action Network's picture

USDA's Organic Initiative supports real change

Issues: 
Food & Agriculture

Taxpayers care how federal money is spent on agriculture. We want the government to spend more to help farmers conserve natural resources, produce safe food and develop their communities — and less on direct commodity payments and price supports. This according to a study  out of Oklahoma State University just released by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). 

Jan 31, 2011
Pesticide Actio...
Tags: 
agroecology
Farm Bill
organic agriculture