NYT Op-ed: My Forbidden Fruits
This opinion piece, My Forbidden Fruits appeared yesterday in the New York Times. It covers the limitations small farmers face when trying to expand by using land that was used for commodity crops.
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2 Responses to “NYT Op-ed: My Forbidden Fruits”
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This is so sick I can’t believe it.Whatever has happened to American freedom?? Bush goes on about it all the time – it is the excuse for invading Iraq, even. Where are the assassins when you need them?
Luckily, in Australia, there are no subsidies for agriculture so you can grow what you like. They call it “a level playing field”. Only problem is that countries like the USA are not playing the same game.
Besides the problems outlined in your article, the unseen outcome is that local isn’t enough. Certain vegetables uptake chemical residues more than others. Now with more lax regulations for organic certification, it is easier for growers to grow on contaminated land. Most consumers believe that “organic methods used”, “local”, “fresh”,etc. all mean the same thing. It is easy for an inexperienced or unscrupulous grower to be marketing chemical laden fruit as organic. Unfortunately the best vegetable growing areas remain the best growing areas. So there are many issues at stake with the eat local movement everywhere.