Good Growing

A. Duram Leslie

Description

Over the past decade, organic products have become the fastest growing sector of agriculture, with an annual increase of at least 20 percent. This book explains why organic production and consumption have seen such phenomenal growth in recent years—and, even more important, why they should. A clear-eyed, close-up look at the compelling reasons for organic farming and the methods that make it work, Good Growing begins with a frank account of the problems with conventional industrial agriculture—the pesticide use, pollution, and corporate control that have undermined public health and devastated rural towns and family farms.

 

In-depth interviews with working organic farmers from across the country bring to life the facts and figures that Leslie Duram sets out in her extensive overview of the realities of organic farming today. Farmers with very different operations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, and upstate New York give us an intimate understanding of the ecological, social, economic, and personal factors that shape their farming experiences. We also learn firsthand about the attractions and pleasures as well as the problems and concerns that accompany organic farming.

 

With its comprehensive view of the status of farming and its compelling portraits of organic farmers, Good Growing is, finally, a work of scientific advocacy describing a course of action, based on the best research available, to improve the health of agriculture in our day.

Sujets

• Organic farming
• Agricultural science

Informations

• Publié par: Bison Books
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780803204966
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

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volume 17 in the series Our Sustainable Future

series editors Charles A. Francis,University of Nebraska–Lincoln Cornelia Flora,Iowa State University Paul A. Olson,University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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leslie a. duram

Good

Why Organic Farming Works

rowing

University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London

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©2005by Leslie A. Duram All rights reserved. Manufac- tured in the United States of America. Publication of this book was made possible in part by a grant from the Or- ganic Farming Research Foun- dation, Santa Cruz, Califor- nia. Photograph on p.117 courtesy of Glenda Kapsalis and photograph on p.104 courtesy of Jon Bathgate; all others from author’s personal collection. Library of Congress Catalog- ing-in-Publication Data. Duram, Leslie A. Good grow- ing: why organic farming works / Leslie A. Duram. p. cm. – (Our sustainable future; v.17) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. isbn 0-8032-6648-0(pbk. : alk. paper) –isbn 0-8032-0496-5 (electronic)1. Organic farm- ing – United States. I. Title. II. Series.s605.5.d87 2005 631.5'84– dc22 2004016267

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For Jon, Kyle, and Maggie-ann

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Contents

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Preface ix Organic Farming and Geography1 The Science of Organic Farming40 The Social Context of Organic Farming70 Organic Farmers on the Ground91 Making It Work150 Organic Farming in Our Future Landscape Appendix: Information Links205 References213 Index239

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Illustrations

table How It Works: Important Influences151 map Location of Five Interviewed Farmers92 photographs Steve Porter on his farm in upstate New York94 Steve Porter giving a tour of his farm95 Rob Mitchell picking his Florida citrus104 Mary Mitchell shipping out an order of Florida citrus105 Joel Rissman admiring the compost on his Illinois farm116 The Rissmans at Chicago’s Green City Farmers’ Market117 Cliff, Allen, and Naioma Benson at home in eastern Colorado Allen Benson in his fields129 Phil Foster on his California vegetable farm138 Phil Foster making a marketing call139

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Preface

y interest in agriculture goes back to my child- hood. I’m from Kansas. I love the open space of the plains, the endless sky, and the power of nature that is so obvious there. You hear a lot about farm foreclosures and smaller farmers “going under” when you live in an agricultural state. With these roots, I also grew up with a strong sense of needing to see the world. I became a geogra- pher, which allows me to travel and study the interactions among the earth’s people and environments. My initial academic work was on demographic studies in Europe, but I had this nagging feeling that my research didn’t matter. I couldn’t do anything to change things; I was an outsider. Finally, I realized that my true calling was back at my roots—plains agriculture. Over the years, I have been inspired by several great geographers: Duane Nellis, Bill Riebsame Travis, Jim Wescoat, Steve White, and Gilbert White. They taught me to enjoy research, study what I truly want to study, and make it practical. I began research on the plains of eastern Colorado (sort of an extension of western Kansas, really). As part of a project looking at conventional agriculture, I interviewed farmers. I loved it. I realized that the best way to understand something is to ask the people directly involved. But I also realized that something was terribly wrong. Conventional agriculture was going nowhere. I needed to understand how farmers could survive, and I discovered the answer was organic farming. It provides true opportunity for ecological and social sustainability within an agricultural system that is teetering on the brink of collapse. I have researched organic farming for over a decade and been a conscien- tious eater far longer. Being both a mother and a researcher intensifies every page of agricultural information I read. What would be a mere agricultural statistic to someone else suddenly becomes a parental concern: What are

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