Organic food - sustainability - what does that mean, really?

[Kali]

Complex issues, interesting information what do you think? Organic, yet not so sustainable healthy food for the wealthy only? Walmart enters the market - small family farmers still the losers.

http://www.slate.com/id/2138176/

[MazeRat7]

1. Yes it is complex and the article makes some good points.... however

One alternative we like are the local farmers markets. Some organic, some not, but always local, always fresh, and we know who is getting the money. The growers. If anything we try to buy local whenever possible. My wife and I managed to do ALL our x-mas shopping this year using locally owned businesses (yes we paid about 10% more than if we had gone to the malls, etc).

Yes, there are energy cost for transporting anything long distances. However, the true "extra" cost for organics comes from not using the "better living through chemistry" model and paying workers a living wage (be they store clerks or farm workers).

I suspect if we could wave a magic wand and eliminate all chemical based agri-business, I don't think there would be a "shortage" of food (perhaps tightened supply as our population has grown dramatically in the past 200 year) but there certainly would be a cost increase.

So then the question becomes, what is your health worth and how do we in the US rank, in terms of cost/capita, for food production. Is our food just another case of "cheap gas" where we pay less than the rest of the world for the same items ?

I don't know... but I will continue to grow what I can myself, buy what I can locally, and support others that are like minded.

MZr7