The organic question

 Farms like Riverglen Biodynamics are experiencing the strain of Organic Certification. [Photo courtesy of Riverglen Biodynamics]

By Harrison Boyd

[dropcap style=”font-size:90px; color: #805C24;”] C [/dropcap]anadian agriculture is a constantly changing landscape, as is its price tag. New techniques, technologies, and regulatory standards keep farmers constantly adapting to what some describe as a crowded marketplace. Organic farming and its byproducts have recently become increasingly popular. However, the costs of “farm-to-table” items have presented a burden for both consumers and producers alike.

According to the European Journal of Social Sciences the first comprehensive foundation for organic farming began in 1924 with a course held by Rudolf Steiner in Kobierzyce, Poland. Here, Steiner began the discussion on the “proliferation of chemical agriculture.”

The low cost of Ammonium Nitrate following World War II saw its increased integration into pesticide use according to Dr. John Paull, a visiting professor of Oxford University’s Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology. This allowed for the creation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, also known as DDT, which is documented to contribute to several health risks according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2002.

Pesticide only covers one element of the organic cycle says lifetime farmer David Burnford, proprietor of Riverglen Biodynamics, a 45 hectare farm located outside of Ottawa.

Biodynamic certification exists as a sub-category of organic certification according to the Canadian Organic Growers website. A biodynamic farm is where “[the proprietor(s)] favours soil health through the use of compost, animal and green manures; diversified crop rotations; and incorporation of livestock”, creating an interconnected closed farming system.

“This means that the animals are fed organic food grown onsite, and in turn the food is cultivated by fertilizer created onsite,” says Burnford.

Riverglen Biodynamics is a heritage farm that received its biodynamic certification in 2007. However, Burnford says that he let the certification lapse in 2014.

“It’s a tough economy. The certificate costs a percentage of income, and we were paying upwards of $700 per year on top of recertification costs. It’s easier to maintain the practices without the certification from a cost analysis.”

While $700 may not seem like a large expense, it is important to factor in farming operational costs and income margins.

“Certification can cost up to $1,000 per certification, per year, then inspections costs are subjective to the agency and the inspector.” – Janice Gibson

Statistics Canada reported in 2011 that there were just over 11,000 registered farms in Ontario, the majority of which have a gross revenue between $100,000 and $249,000. On average, gross revenue is $162,179, with gross expenses sitting at $138,027. This allows for a net cash income of $24,152, which does not factor in certifications and their processes.

Part of certification is also what is referred to as the transition period from a conventional ecosystem to an organic ecosystem, which can take up to 36 months from the last use of a prohibited product according to the Centre for Systems Integration, one of Canada’s organic certifying bodies.

Janice Gibson, a previous president of the Canadian Organic Growers and Organic Inspector for 22 years, says that while the process can be pricey, there are cost-savings on the other side.

“Certification can cost up to $1,000 per certification, per year, then inspections costs are subjective to the agency and the inspector,” says Gibson.

“However, one of the principles of organic is the creation of a closed system. Farmers find that once they’re not importing inputs like fertilizer or pesticide, their operational costs decrease.”

[dropcap style=”font-size:90px; color: #805C24;”]A[/dropcap]ccording to Gibson, public subsidies are common in the United States and Europe to help with the transitional phase. In Canada, however, Prince Edward Island is the only province to offer a subsidy, which only covers up to $500 during that process.

Gibson hopes that subsidies will encourage more farmers to incorporate organic practices, something that Ashley St. Hilaire, acting executive director of the Canadian Organic Growers, believes to be a crucial part of the economy.

“Canada’s organic marketplace is a good news story for the Canadian agricultural sector. Organic farming is helping to revive our rural communities in Canada and attracting a new and diverse generation of farmers in Canada. These farmers are driven not only by their dedication to growing food using organic principles but also by the Canadian consumer demand for organic products, which is currently outpacing our domestic supply,” said St. Hilaire during testimony to the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on Oct 30.

According to St. Hilaire, 60 per cent of Canadians buy organic products, with the industry itself estimated to be worth over $4 billion.

All of these costs factor into overhead that is in turn presented to consumers who look for the organic certifying label says Burnford. But he says that while organic products are marketable, the price difference is not enough to make it economically viable.

“I’m proud of what we do and continue to do in order to bring Ottawa residents clean, organic food. Will I reconsider recertifying? Likely. Will it be in the near future? Not likely.”

Ottawa has over a dozen organic farmers in and around the surrounding area, all of which are accessible via the Ottawa Organic Farmers’ Market, which currently lists having only 8 vendors to be certified by regulatory bodies.

 Whole Foods encourages its shoppers to support local producers. [Photo © Elizabeth Kosturik]

By Elizabeth Kosturik

[dropcap style=”font-size:90px; color: #805C24;”] C [/dropcap]anada’s organic market has been expanding in the past decade. Whole Foods has crossed the border from the U.S. and opened 10 stores between B.C. and Ontario. Conventional retailers like Loblaws and Walmart have added organic products to their shelves. In a 2013 report, the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) found that 58 per cent of Canadians are buying organic on a weekly basis. The organic market in Canada is valued at about $3 billion a year in sales.

When it comes to the consumers of organic products, the question isn’t who is buying organic, but who is not. According to Shauna MacKinnon, one of the lead researchers of COTA’s report, families with young children, millennials (18-34 years-old), and ethnic minorities make up the majority of organic buyers. Seniors (65 years and above) seem to be the only demographic not buying into organic, MacKinnon says, because they don’t have children at home and don’t purchase as much food. According to the report, organic buyers tend to be university-educated and live in urban and suburban areas. But experts say it’s the underpinning “ideals” of organic that produces this specific type of consumer: one who is health-conscious, environmentally aware, and wants to support their local producers.

Why buy?

Leila Hamzaoui-Essoussi says that most organic buyers tend to shop organic because they want to avoid the worse chemicals in conventional products. Hamzaoui-Essoussi is a marketing professor at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and has done extensive research about the Canadian organic market. She categorizes the typical organic consumer into two types: the hardcore consumer; and the occasional consumer.

“The hardcore consumers go through the short channels,” she says. “They want to go to specialty stores. They want to talk to producers and want to know how it’s been grown. They want to make sure they share the same values as those people.”

On the other hand, occasional consumers prefer a “one-stop shop” for their organics. “They go to the supermarket to get their fruits and vegetables, maybe some milk. But they’re not the ones who will go out of their way,” she says.

These unique profiles of organic consumers means retailers market towards them in different ways. Occasional consumers tend to shop at conventional retailers that sell organic, such as Whole Foods or Loblaws. Hardcore consumers prefer to go to specialty shops such as Farm Boy or farmers markets that sell organic. It’s what Hamzaoui-Essoussi calls “the trust dimension” between consumers and retailers. There is a shared set of values between the two.

“We found that since certification costs so much, some people would still go to farms that do not have the certification but are growing their stuff in an organic way,” she says. “People would say ‘well, I don’t need to have that official certification on my product as long as it’s one of the farmers from the region and he’s doing it the organic way. That’s more important than having an official sticker on my product.’”

[dropcap style=”font-size:90px; color: #805C24;”] O [/dropcap]ne trend that is being seen in the organic market in Canada, regardless of the retailer, is local. MacKinnon says an increasing number of people want to know where their food is coming from. Both retailers and consumers want to support their local farmers and producers. She notes Canada’s organic market is quite young compared to the United States and European Union in terms of organic logo regulations. The Canadian organic-certified logo was implemented in 2009.

“The logo gives Canadian consumers a recognizable brand,” she says. “U.S. companies that have brought their products to Canada have started to use our logo on their Canadian packaging, rather than just using the U.S. logo. There is an equivalency agreement between the U.S. and Canada, so they could just sell with their U.S. logo. But they’ve made the choice to use the Canadian one because Canadians have more trust in the Canadian organic logo than the U.S. one.”

While the organic logo is a good step towards a recognizable organic symbol for consumers, it’s not compulsory, which is problematic according to Hamzaoui-Essoussi. Her research compares Canadian and French organic markets. In France, she says, there are established organic brands, something that Canada lacks. Instead, Canadian supermarkets try their own private label organic brands, such as baby food and toddler snacks, to appeal to the organic-buying families with children.

So once you get an organic product onto the market, how does one sell it? According to Jordan Rogers, sometimes it’s harder to get a product off the shelves than on them. Rogers is the founder of Lloyd-James Sales & Marketing, a Vancouver-based food products agent for natural and organic food manufacturers. He says that specialty organic stores are often the first channel to go through before moving onto bigger retailers and supermarkets.

“The big guys want to see that your organic brand has been in the market,” he says. “They want to see how many retailers, how well it’s doing.” But he agrees that one thing bigger retailers are “hungry” for right now are local products, and points out that some, such as Save-On-Foods in Western Canada, have local-only sections of their stores.

“U.S. companies that have brought their products to Canada have started to use our logo on their Canadian packaging, rather than just using the U.S. logo…They’ve made the choice to use the Canadian one because Canadians have more trust in the Canadian organic logo than the U.S. one.”

On the other side of the shelf, organic products, which used to have their own section in most supermarkets, are now being amalgamated with non-organic products. They do tend to be more expensive than non-organic, particularly dairy, eggs, and meat, so Rogers has to find alternative ways to market.

“We’re really engaged with social media, so we send products to bloggers,” he says. “And we say, ‘hey if you like it, can you write about it and talk about it?’ And we’re constantly doing demos and sampling as much as we can.”

Of course, not everyone is on board with organic. Kevin Grier, an agricultural and food market analyst, says he’s skeptical of organic products. He says from what he’s seen, scientifically there isn’t a difference between organic and non-organic, particularly in meat, and sees it more as a marketing gimmick.

“They have either a high price tag and lots of shrink, meaning they’re not sold before the best before date or have to be thrown out. Or they have a lower price tag but a loss,” he says. “These are items that retailers feel they need to have, but it’s not something that is anything to brag about.”

Hamzaoui-Essoussi agrees that some people may not buy into organic because of price or brand comfort, but says the organic trend will continue to expand in Canada. Whole Foods announced new stores for Edmonton and Calgary, and experts have projected the organic market to grow by about 10 per cent next year. Canada still has vast market potential for organic and consumers seem, for lack of a better phrase, ready to eat it up.

 Organic produce at Whole Foods in Ottawa. [Photo © Kristine Walkden]

By Kristine Walkden

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #805c24;”]O [/dropcap]n a farm in southwestern Ontario, a young girl works in the hot August sun, hoeing tomatoes. At a nearby field, a tractor roars loudly as it pulls a sprayer behind it. The girl breathes in slowly, the air tainted by a faint whiff of chemicals. As a breeze comes up, she feels a light spray of pesticide residue. She wipes her hands onto her grass-stained pants and continues working alongside a crew made up of migrant workers. No one complains.

For Su Morin, a community food co-ordinator in Cumberland, Nova Scotia, this is how she remembers her summers spent working on a farm as a teenager.

“I was surrounded by large industrial scale farmers that would spray on windy days, onto our crops and onto my skin.” she says. “I remember being really angry and wanting to complain, but as a passive teen, I did not have the courage to do anything about it.”

Morin describes the area she grew up in as made up of a series of large industrial farms that sprayed synthetic chemicals. Her concern for how damaging the chemicals were to her health was one of the main reasons she moved to Nova Scotia and developed an interest in organic farming.

The ecological impact of farming practices has been an ongoing topic of debate in the agricultural world, dividing those who farm and consume conventionally grown produce with those who farm and choose to buy organic. While organic advocates argue that conventional farming practices are detrimental to the environment, critics argue that organic practices are not sustainable and can be just as harmful.

Organic farmers use techniques such as green manure, crop rotation, compost, and biological pest control, while conventional farmers rely heavily on the use of chemical tools. Many organic farmers are concerned primarily about the health of the land.

“The founding philosophy of organic growing starts with the health of the soil,” says Morin. “Whereas, the common practice in conventional farming is simply: spray, spray, harvest, and spray.”

While organic farmers operate on a different paradigm, there’s a common misconception that organic means completely pesticide-free. Organic farmers are allowed to use pesticides, as long as they are biological, or rather natural or non-chemical and are on the Organic Production Systems Permitted Substances List. Sulfur, nicotine and copper are some of the most commonly used natural pesticides and are used to fight fungal and bacterial diseases in plants.

The pesticide predicament

Organic pesticides can be even worse for the environment than synthetic pesticides, according to a University of Guelph study, which examined the performance of two natural pesticides against four synthetic pesticides on soybean aphids over a two-year period.

The researchers reported that because biological pesticides are often used in higher doses than traditional chemical pesticides, they can cause more problems for nearby bodies of water and other parts of the ecosystem.

“All farming practices come with a series of trade-offs,” says Christie Bahlai, an ecologist who co-authored the report. “The trade-offs are never straight-forward and the magnitude of the trade-offs vary with crop, farm scale, soil, climate, location and other practices being used.”



Bahlai said the study was not meant to attack the organic industry as a whole, but to examine the true environmental impacts of organic farming, according to a CBC report.

However organic farmers rarely use pesticides, as they are viewed as a last resort, according to Maureen Bostock, co-owner of Sweet Meadow Farm, a certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in Lanark, near Ottawa.

“We are only allowed to use them if other methods fail,” she says. “We are required to do a proper rotation, use the cyclical life of the insect against itself and put up barriers before resorting to pesticides.”

What’s better for the environment?

Bostock adds that the environmental benefits of organic farming are undeniable in comparison to conventional farms. Organic farms act as an oasis for animals and insects, are successful in building healthy soil structure and protect water streams from harmful chemicals. Chemical sprays used in conventional farming only hit a very small percentage of their target, an estimated one per cent, and the rest drifts into the air and water supply, according to the Canadian Organic Growers.

Organic farms support 50 per cent more animal, insect and pollinator species than conventional farms, according to a study by Oxford University.

At Sweet Meadow Farms, beneficial insects are encouraged and even imported to help control certain pests, says Bostock.

“This year we were quite concerned about the bee population, so we brought in a hive of eastern bumbles bees to take care of pollination,” she says.

Organic farming principles are based on promoting better soil health and structure for long term sustainability, says Rob Wallbridge, an organic farmer at Songberry Farms in Quebec. Soil conditions have become a hot topic across the agricultural sector and more farmers are taking an interest in soil health to help their crops and business, he says.

“As farmers focus more on soil health, they will start to realize the potential that working with the soil biology holds,” he says. “Then they may be more inclined to adopt organic practices.”

Organic soil health

Organic farming systems tend to build up carbon soil organic matter, which helps retain water, prevent run-offs and is more resistant to droughts and floods. Chemical fertilizers used in conventional farming practices destroy soil organic matter, degrades the land and pollutes water streams, according to a report by the National Soil Project in Boston.

Every one per cent increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold 75,700 litres more water per acre, states the report.

“In organics we talk about leaving the soil in better shape than when we got our hands on it,” says Bostock. “It’s a tremendous thrill for farmers to know that the next person can come farm after us and the soil will be healthy, rich and full of life.”

Jodi Koberinski, a member of the Organic Council of Ontario, says that by prohibiting the use of synthetic chemicals, organic farmers are doing their part to protect our water bodies, increase air quality, and protect biodiversity for future generations.

“These synthetic chemicals can be damaging for many years,” she says. “We don’t know what chemicals are turning up on our food that could have been from five to 10 years earlier.”

According to Koberinski, synthetic chemicals like neonicotinoids, which have allegedly been connected to the decline of the bee population, can stay in the soil for 1,000 days after its first use.

“We’ve inherited a broken food system,” says Koberinski. “But at least when I choose organic I know the farmers I support are doing their best to ensure there are fewer chemicals in the environment.”

Our Little Farm CSA box. [Photo © Jordanna Tennebaum]

By Jordanna Tennebaum

[dropcap style=”font-size:90px; color: #805C24;”]C[/dropcap]anadian organic farmers are making significant inroads in the mainstream food retail market. According to the most recent census of agriculture conducted by Statistics Canada in 2011, more than 3,000 farms reported having certified organic products for sale. On a smaller scale, there are more than 700 certified organic operators in Ontario alone, offering up sizable shares of greenhouse vegetables, maple goods and flavourful spices.

Much like diverse crops offered by Canadian organic farmers are multifaceted distribution channels. Due in large part to shifting consumer demands, food producers are partnering with a mix of grocery stores, natural food stores and farmers’ markets. While these are some of the more visible displays of organic cultivation, Canadian farmers are also developing sophisticated e-commerce platforms enabling online shopping.

Digital sales

Quebec’s Bryson Farms is one of many certified organic growers merging fresh produce with digital sales tools. For over 15 years, the 140-acre farm has been serving the Ottawa-Gatineau region with its seasonal harvests. Since 2010, owners Terry Stewart and Stuart Collins have offered online payment options for both residential and commercial customers, allowing shoppers to pick and choose from colourful baskets full of heirloom tomatoes, fingerling potatoes and golden beets.

Bryson Farms’ social media and administrative assistant Julielee Stitt finds that digital sales tools work in tandem with face-to-face transactions.

“The online market is an extension of the farmers’ market. We encourage everyone to come out, but that’s not always an option,” says Stitt.

E-commerce growth

Stitt’s high regard for online purchasing is reflective of rising e-commerce levels in Canada. Between 2010 and 2013, technology and market analysis experts at Forrester Research reported that digital sales rose from $15.3 billion to $20.6 billion. It is expected that this figure will jump to $39.9 billion by 2019, a product of an anticipated 12.3 per cent annual growth rate.

Gatineau’s Our Little Farm owner and operator Jim Thompson is trying to align his website’s e-commerce features with an increasingly tech-savvy consumer base. Since 2014, Thompson has allowed customers to register for a weekly vegetable delivery service (more formally known as the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program), through an online system called Wufoo that tracks and creates sign-up forms.

“People like having the power to manage their accounts online. They can change drop-off locations or drop-off dates … to not have a 24-hour delay is a big deal,” says Thompson. Prior to linking the Our Little Farm website with Wufoo, wait times sometimes exceeded this 24-hour period as clients mailed in paper forms and cheques.

While Thompson is enthusiastic about Wufoo as a way to improve his delivery network, key players in the organic sector are averse to the merger of technology with agrarian business, giving way to a rather complex picture. With over 80 CSA distributors in Quebec, diverse voices have expressed numerous viewpoints, some of which conflict with Thompson’s outlook and operations.

Mixed opinions

Agricultural counselor Mathieu Roy witnesses clashing opinions on a relatively consistent basis. Roy is a senior lecturer with Équiterre, the non-governmental agency that manages Quebec’s CSA operations. Roy recognizes that alongside early adopters of digital platforms such as Farmigo, a simulated online farmers’ market connecting consumers with local farms, are numerous organic farmers who see little if any value in e-commerce.

“Online payment fits certain kinds of farmers, especially the ones that are younger. But for many, it doesn’t fit, they don’t want to be on the web,” says Roy.

For some, hesitation comes down to a two or three per cent transaction fee, which is usually levied via PayPal or credit card e-transfers.

Despite the financial trade offs, e-commerce uptake among farmers is considerably high. According to Roy, amongst approximately 100 organic farmers in Quebec, 40 per cent are integrating e-commerce in varying forms, such as e-transfers enabled by banking partnerships with Desjardins.

Improved accessibility

Merely having the option to peruse or purchase produce online may further accessibility to organic goods for contemporary shoppers, especially where time and distance factors are concerned.

For York University MBA student Jacqueline Smolyar, weekly trips to farmers’ markets or organic grocers are usually incompatible with her packed schedule. Instead of foregoing her desire to consume a mostly organic diet, Smolyar made an online CSA purchase with Govardhana Farms. Throughout an 18-week period, Smolyar picked up different assortments of produce from a nearby drop-off location in the GTA.

“The system was pretty easy. I signed up with my PayPal account and was able to enjoy the vegetable boxes without having to do much shopping-wise,” says Smolyar. Although Smolyar’s satisfaction reflects a quick, simple and dependable e-commerce arrangement, confidence in online tools extends far beyond convenience. By making online purchases with nearby farms, shoppers reduce their ecological footprint, swapping car rides and paper with full service websites.

Agri-Food Canada research scientist Dr. Edward Gregorich predicts that by doing away with the need to physically take orders, parties on both ends of the transaction will benefit.

“This cuts out the middle man. People like that because it’s better for the environment. It’s likely sourced close by and there is less distance involved, less paperwork and less hassle,” says Gregorich.

Given these pro-e-commerce incentives, organic farmers may advance the current use of digital routes as ways to market and sell produce. No matter the particular e-payment structure selected, consumerist considerations, technological interests and ecological factors will continue to contribute to a rather complex patchwork of online and offline vendors.

 Organic produce on display at Farm Boy in Kanata, Ont. [Photo © Nichole Ekkert-Vine]

By Nichole Ekkert-Vine

[dropcap style=”font-size: 90px; color: #805c24;”]M [/dropcap] ore than 50 per cent of Canadians are now investing in organic foods each week, according to the Canadian Organic Trade Association.  Organic foods have been a popular topic recently, as bigger box stores like Whole Foods begin to pop up in cities across Canada.

But is eating organic foods really that much better for you? What happens to the nutrients in food when they are sprayed with pesticides?

In Canada, organic foods and food labeling is monitored by the provincial and federal governments. The labeling of organic foods must adhere to the Canadian Organic Standards regulations and must abide by the rules outlined. Among many substances that are not on the permitted substance list are products such as synthetic pesticides and wood preservatives.

The policy behind government organic certification

In order for anything to be labeled organic in Canada, the product must contain at least 95 per cent organic materials and ingredients. If a product contains less than this, it can simply indicate that a certain percentage of the product is organic, but not that the product itself is organic.

The Canadian Organic Agriculture Standards, which is overseen by the Canadian General Standards Board, strictly states that the use of synthetic pesticides is prohibited. They do however provide a disclaimer that says that it is the farmers job to keep pesticide residue down to a minimum.

This does not ensure that products will have zero pesticide residue on them, and states that “the practices permitted by this standard are designed to assure the least possible residues at the lowest possible levels.”

Pesticides are regulated by the government, and go through rigorous testing before used on crops and agriculture. Sophie Poirier-Geve of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada notes that the “government is committed to keeping the food, feed and environment in Canada safe, and to supporting sustainable agriculture”. All of this, she says, is backed by sound science.

“Canada has a stringent regulatory system for assessing the safety of novel products,” says Poirier-Geve. “Such products are subject to rigorous standards of scientific evaluation for health, safety and environmental impact.”

Some studies however show that there may be a link from the use of pesticides to serious diseases such as cancer and behavioural disorders.

The negatives and positives of pesticide use

Andre Leu, author and president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, is an advocate for cleaner methods of producing food that do not include these toxins.

He says there are “numerous human health problems associated with exposure to amounts of pesticides that are significantly lower than are currently permitted in our food.”

“The current testing protocols are completely inadequate for determining the safety of pesticides and the numerous data gaps that require testing to assure science based evidence to establish their safe use.”

Through his research, Leu has concluded that “unless we have a major shift towards organic agriculture and away from processed foods” human health will not be able to improve.

Although Leu strongly believes, based on his research, that pesticides have lead to a rise in human diseases such as cancer, some food and nutrition scientists aren’t so sure.

Dr. Illimar Altosaar is a biochemist who conducts research and teaches at the University of Ottawa. He says that the main issue is with how much the human body is being exposed to pesticides.

“There haven’t been any deaths in Canada that have been a result of pesticides. Nothing has been confirmed,” he says. “So why would I spend more money on something that will taste the same?”

Altosaar uses the abnormally small, organic banana on his desk as an example. He says his wife got it from Loblaws, just like all the other produce he consumes.

“This banana is black on the outside. It has the same disease that all bananas in the whole world have: black sigatoka. It is the number one pest of banana grass, and it is a fungus that is poisonous to human beings,” says Altosaar.

Ponting to the black streaks on the outside of the banana, he peels away the excess to reveal a very small banana inside the peel.

“Because it is on the outside, it won’t hurt me,” he says.

“But I am more concerned in general about ingesting this dangerous bacteria and the presence of fungus, than I am about the dangers pesticides may have on our bodies.”

Altosaar says it is not the genetically modified organisms and the pesticides that are dangerous to humans. The “lifestyle diseases of lethargy, couch-potatoe’ing, and sedentary sentience are known to kill more people than foods approved by AAFC, CFIA and Health Canada.” He feels that when it comes to health, people have more to fear from junk food and inadequate exercise than they do from pesticides.

The culture of eating organic

Dr. Irena Knezevic is a researcher in communications, culture and health, and is particularly interested in food labeling and nourishment.

Knezevic explains that two years ago a comparison study showed that organic food does in fact have a higher nutrient content. This, she says, is one of the first reasons why we should be eating organic foods.

She does however identify that although organic food is healthier for the human body than food sprayed with pesticides, neither will make someone sick.

“If you look at things like pesticide use, we can see that the concern behind it started with this idea that we don’t know how our diets came to be what they are,” she says.

“We have relatively strict rules regarding the use of pesticides, but the public hasn’t been involved in that decision making.  When regulated, these chemicals won’t kill us, but we as humans are eating things and we didn’t get a choice as to how they were made.”

In Canada, each pesticide used on a crop has to be certified, and is due for re-certification five years later. This ensures that the content of the pesticide does not change over time without the consent of Health Canada. Each chemical used is tested and dosed appropriately to reduce the impact on humans as much as possible.

“An apple spray by pesticides isn’t good for you, but it isn’t going to kill you and it isn’t going to make you sick,” she says.

“But just saying that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care abut these cultural dimensions and that we shouldn’t care about what our food production does.”

Knezevic says that an overall understanding of our well being as humans is what is most important. She says that although organic is trending, what we really need to be concerned about is how our choices ultimately affect the rest of our lives.

“I think it is funny that you almost have to be an expert in food science to make educated decisions about what is best for you.”

“But what we choose to eat is so much more than just a concern for our health. We have to think about everything that encompasses the business of food production,” she says, urging people to think about other issues too, such as environmental costs, or the workers who tend crops around the world.

“Whether we eat organic or not, we need to educate consumers in a more effective way. We are so detached from where our food comes from that, really, how can we make an educated choice on what to eat? And who is to say that any type of food is better than another when we are learning new things every single day?”

 A vendor sells her fresh produce at the Ottawa Farmer’s market last summer. [Photo © Paige Mueller]

By Paige Mueller

[dropcap style=”font-size:60px; color: #805C24;”] T [/dropcap]

he planet’s population is set to exceed 9 billion in the next 35 years, according to the UN. This exponential growth has some wondering how we’ll manage to feed everyone, when in 2014, one in every nine people is not getting enough to eat, according to the World Food Program. But some experts say the problem isn’t that we won’t have enough food, it’s that the current agricultural system is failing us.

“We produce enough food to feed about 10 billion people right now,” says Danielle Nierenberg, the president of Food Tank, an organization based in the U.S. focused on building sustainable agricultural processes.

Ottawa organic farmer and food expert Chris Kelly-Bisson agrees. “[W]e don’t have a food shortage on earth,” she says.

So what’s the problem?

According to the World Food Program, lack of investment in sustainable agriculture is one of the main obstacles to a well-fed planet.

This means that traditional farming practices, which are large-scale farms producing single, or monoculture crops and using various agrochemicals to enhance the process, are not sustainable. These types of farms can lead to some potentially severe problems, which will impact future generations of consumers.

Nierenberg says agrochemicals and conventional farming worked for a while, but they’re simply not going to work in the long-term.

“What we’ve done is become very dependent on these chemicals and have begun using them as medicine,” she says. “You’re sick so this is what you need right now, but you don’t need it forever.”

What Nierenberg is referring to is an agrochemical cycle that is present in most conventional farming practices. According to a study by Miguel Altieri, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, planting large-scale monoculture crops can make a farm very susceptible to disease and pests. Farmers will use more agrochemicals and pesticides in order to avoid having their yields destroyed by these threats. Planting a single crop can also sap the soil of the specific nutrients the plant needs to survive over a long period of time. This forces conventional farmers to add artificial fertilizers to their soil.

“Even if traditional farming is capable of producing large amounts of food to support a large population of the planet, it can’t keep doing that indefinitely. Organic is the only way we can count on doing it.”

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, this use of agrochemicals is one of the top three causes of soil erosion and degradation. The use of these chemicals can alter the soil and promote the growth of harmful bacteria. The main problem that stems from soil erosion is a loss of fertile farmland, says the WWF. They note that in the past 150 years, the world has lost 50 per cent of its fertile topsoil. And when it comes to feeding 9 billion people, we’ll need all the fertile soil we can get.

In order to recognize and protect this important but often overlooked resource, the UN declared 2015 the International Year of Soils.

The question becomes, what should replace the failing traditional commercial farming practices?

Organic farming might help

Some of those in the agriculture sustainability field are pointing to organic farming as a viable option to feeding the planet.

“Even if traditional farming is capable of producing large amounts of food to support a large population of the planet, it can’t keep doing that indefinitely. Organic is the only way we can count on doing it,” says Irena Knezevic, an expert on food and communication from Carleton University.

For some small-scale farmers, going organic is simply practical. According to Kelly-Bisson, most local farmers can’t afford the expensive agrochemicals and genetically enhanced seeds. He also points out that the majority of the world’s already fed by organic family farms. According to the World Bank, for 70 per cent of the world’s poor, agriculture is the main source of income and employment. The people who fall into this category cannot afford the agrochemicals that are present in traditional North American and European commercial farming.

The environmental benefits of going organic and its lower costs are not the only advantages however. Generally speaking, organic farming takes place on a smaller scale, with more diverse crops and less agrochemicals. This means that soil erosion and water table pollution is less of a problem. Crop diversity, or planting several different varieties of plant side-by-side means less risk of disease and greater nutrients in the soil. This is turn means less of a dependence on agrochemicals.

However, because of the lack of pesticides and preservatives, the assumption is that there will be greater after-harvest waste on organic farms and smaller crop yields. The idea is that without the pesticides and genetically enhanced crop varieties, foods will not keep as long but according to Knezevic, this is a non-issue.

“The most sustainable options are those that mimic natural processes and when you’re talking about the food system, that means diversity.”

The World Food Program estimates that one third of all food produced goes to waste, whether treated with pesticides or not. In fact, Knezevic thinks organic farmers actually do a better job of dealing with the waste because it is repurposed as composting and the fertilizer becomes another resource for the farm.

Kelly-Bisson says that, “small-scale farms will be the only way we’ll be able to feed ourselves in the future because they have that ecological quality to them that means you’re more effectively stewarding the soil, which is key.”

But some large-scale farmers say they believe that they are doing just that.

“We’re stewards of the land. I mean, this land has been in our family for 50 years. I have friends whose land has been in the family for 100 years and the land is every bit as good or better than it was,” says Brett Law. “If you’re not a good steward of the land, you’re not in business.”

Law is a grain farmer in Central Alberta who says there are some misconceptions surrounding traditional farmers. He notes that some people believe that large-scale commercial farmers are “out to harm the land and that we don’t care what we spray, and it’s all done irresponsibly and that’s not the case.”

According to Law, the amount of chemicals used on his farm is very small and it is all monitored responsibly.

But the challenges of feeding 9 billion people go beyond the organic vs. non-organic debate.

“The most sustainable options are those that mimic natural processes and when you’re talking about the food system, that means diversity,” says Nierenberg.

She notes that having a large-scale organic farm can be just as harmful as a non-organic one if the crop is still a monoculture. It’s the diversity and soil fertility that is key. She says it’s necessary to find a new system that will focus on nourishing people, not just providing calories, and on maintaining soil fertility through crop diversity.

“We can no longer follow this business-as-usual approach. Conventional, industrial agriculture just is not capable of dealing with the things we’re going to face in the future, whether it’s climate change or disease or conflict.”