Pollan called food the “Shadow Issue” as it influences our health, climate change, energy security and environmental pollution.
We tend to only think of food in an isolated way. 

You can watch the two-part interview here. 

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I’d venture to say most folks believe industrialized and large farms are capable of higher yields through greater technology and efficiency.

I’ve read a number of sources that argue organic farming can now produce yields equal to “chemical” farming. This in part because chemical farming has stripped the soil so much it’s having a harder time keeping production up. And in part because organic farming has improved.

I read an excerpt from a book due out in the Spring of 2009: A Nation of Farmers, by Aaron Newton and Sharon Astyk.

It poses the question:
Can We Feed the World? More Importantly Will We Choose To?

A very interesting read with excellent historical perspective. I highly recommend reading it.

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There’s a proposition on the California ballot – Prop. 2 – that regulates how animals are treated… mostly how they’re confined.

It’s not getting much attention in these financially challenging times, but it did make Oprah. Oprah featured an expose by investigative reporter Lisa Ling on how we treat the animals we eat.

Naturally the “NO” supporters threaten such regulation will lead to much higher prices and family farms being put out of business.

Would you be willing to pay more for meat products if animals were humanely raised.

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It’s an open letter to the next President with some specific food policy recommendations.

I’s a long article, but a very good read. Highly recommended.

Food is cheap in America – relatively speaking. Well actually, it’s not so much that food is cheap as it is that we don’t pay very much for as a percentage of our income compared to other countries, i.e., we buy CHEAP food.

I’m reminded of a TV commercial from the past. The commercial was for an oil filter (as I recall). The slogan: “Pay me now or pay me later”. Essentially, take care of your car by performing regular maintenance (spend a little now), or realize significant consequences (spend a lot later).

A few of the now and later figures:
This from the US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Food Expenditures by Families and Individuals as a Share of Disposable Personal Income:
1960 – 17.5%
1970 – 13.9%
1980 – 13.2%
1990 – 11.1%
2000 – 9.9%
2007 – 9.8%

Spending on health care as a percent of national income from 1960 to today: 5% -> 16%

Environmental consequences: About 19% of fossil fuels are consumed by the food system. As much as 37% of greenhouse gases are attributable to food and animal farming. In 1940 – pre modern agriculture – each calorie of fossil fuel energy produced 2.3 calories of food energy. Currently it takes 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce 1 calorie of food energy.

There’s a plethora of information and studies out there that show how modern agriculture methods lead to more environmental impact.

There’s also a mounting information and studies out there that show eating cheap high-calorie, low-nutrition food significantly contributes to “lifestyle”, chronic disease.

Will you spend a little more time/money now… or a lot more later?

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Since then his organization – Growing Power – has produced $500,000 of affordable fresh produce, meat and fish in an area characterized as a “food desert”. “Food desert” is a label applied to inner city areas that don’t have access to grocery stores and fresh produce.

Along the way he’s brought health and food appreciate to low income folks and has trained a couple thousand neighborhood volunteers.

Mr. Allen was just granted a “Genius Award” by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

His dream: to create a five story, off-the-grid eco-system.
He’ll grow food and raise animals. He’s working on turning food waste into fertilizer and methane gas, then using the methane as a power source.

This sounds similar to the “vertical farm” concept discussed in this post.

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Today let’s talk dirt.
Not celebrity dirt. But that amazing substance that’s simultaneously composed of rotting decaying material and vibrantly alive and active micro-organisms. We more properly refer to said dirt as SOIL.

I was recently reading an economic report on topsoil. It startled me quite a bit.

We’ve been witnessing more significant global food constraints over the past couple of years. Public discussion has largely been focused on transferring food resources to fuel use, i.e., ethanol. Which in turn decreased food supply and concurrently led to escalating prices.

Throw in some weather challenges such as droughts here and there and some natural disasters such as floods and it “seemed obvious” to conclude the situation was somewhat temporary.
Not the conclusion I more recently came to.

In addition to all those “challenges”, globally we’re running out of soil. Yep. Seems unfathomable.
So says Lennart Bage, president of a U.N. fund for agriculture development: “Now fertile land with access to water has become a strategic asset.”

The planet has three feet of topsoil. Not dirt, but nutrient rich, fertile soil. What you need to grow food. And we’re losing it faster than we’re replacing it. In fact, according to the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. is loosing fertile topsoil 10 times faster than replacing it. And according to the U.N. the oss rate is 10-100 times faster on a global basis.
As I said, I was quite startled.

Prior to the 1980’s cultivated land had been increasing. Since then it’s been on the decline… tho globally, the population is still increasing. So more people to feed, less acres to farm.

Iran bought 1 million tons of wheat from the U.S. this summer. Last time that happened was 27 years ago when we were on ummmm, “friendlier” terms. Drought decreased their harvest by a third and the U.S. was the only country that could supply them.

Prior to the 1940’s only Europe imported grain. North America, South America and the former USSR were exporters. Africa was self-sufficient. The only significant exporters now are North America (Canada, U.S., Mexico), Australia and New Zealand.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Libya, South Korea and China are looking to lease or buy farmland in other countries.

Many other countries have instituted export restrictions keeping their harvest within the country.

Is fertile land destined to replace oil as the top global strategic asset?

Go Vertical

I came upon this site some time ago. It takes a real mental shift… at least it does for me.
Vertical farming takes features of greenhouse and hydroponic gardening matched with skyscraper architecture… small footprint, tall structure.

  picture from VerticalFarm.com

Essentially they classify it as “indoor farming”. Indoor = controlled environment. No longer does weather matter. No longer do seasons matter.

Vertical farming is positioned as an extremely environmentally friendly solution:
Vertical farms can be built in urban centers decreasing the distance from “farm” to plate. Less procesesing, packaging, transportation. Greater freshness.
Food is grown organically… no pesticides (no pests), herbicides or chemical fertilizers.
Very water efficient… “runoff” and evaporation are recycled back into potable water.
Superior productivity: 1 indoor acre can produce the equivalent of 4-6 outdoor acres.
Methane is regenerated into energy.

Meanwhile some land currently used for traditional horizontal farming can be re-forested. This stops the decline of rain forests and animal habitats.

Very good arguments for vertical farms. We’ve seen agriculture go through two major “efficiency” evolutions. The first evolution when machinery replaced human labor. The second evolution when chemical fertilizer were used to “overcome” soil deficiencies.

One can look at vertical farming as the next efficiency evolution. It’s more space efficient. It’s more closely located to buyers of the food. It neutralizes weather, season and pest influences. It more efficiently uses water and energy

What do you think?

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What better way to move towards sustainable gardening than to save your own seeds. Another plus is that as you save seeds from the best of the best in your garden you will be selecting the best for the micro climate in your garden. In a sense, you will be developing your own micro variety…in 50 years it will be your very own heirloom!

There are many methods for preparing your seeds from tomatoes but the most widely used method is the fermentation method.

Fermenting Tomato Seeds

Why bother with fermentation?

The fermentation of the tomato seed will aid in removing the gel sack around each seed
but more importantly – reduce the chances of seed bourne diseases and enhance germination.

Choose the right tomato

First, you must choose an open pollinated tomato or non-hybrid variety – most heirlooms fit the bill. If you don’t, this is what will happen
Second, pick the tastiest, largest heirloom tomato from your most healthy plant. (Of course, if it is a small variety pick the largest of these small fruit)

Saving Tomato Seeds

Saving your tomato seeds with the fermentation method

• Find a cup or recycled deli or yogurt containers. Mark on the container the variety of tomato.
• Take your tomato and cut in half across the ‘equator’
• Squeeze out the seeds as if you were squeezing a lemon into your container. If you don’t want to mangle your tomato you can dig out the seeds with the tip of a knife or small spoon.
• Add enough water to cover the seeds by about 1/2 an inch
• Loosely cover the top and place in a warm spot (70-80F) for a week
• Scoop off the moldy scum that has formed on the top and pour the seeds into a fine mesh strainer. Rinse with cold water.
• Shake off the excess water by tapping the bottom of the strainer on a dish towel.
• Invert the seeds onto a piece of waxed paper that has been labeled with the variety name. Don’t worry about spreading the seeds out too much as they will easily separate when dry.
• Let dry for at least 4-5 days.
• Store in a paper envelope labeled with the variety name and date.

Save to plant in the spring. These seeds should last quite a few years though the germination rate will decrease as the seeds age.

With the holidays coming up, seeds make nifty gifts for your gardening friends.

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Slow Food Nation ‘08 San Francisco City Hall

A beautiful sunny day, we arrived via BART for the first day of the Slow Food Nation ‘08 Celebration to tour the Victory Gardens in front of San Francisco City Hall.

Surreal View of City Hall Through the Victory Garden

It seemed almost surreal to see what was once a neatly manicured lawn now planted with such a variety of summer vegetables.

But once I realized this was all real I reveled in the abundance of food this garden was producing

Field of Chard in Front of San Francisco City Hall

 

Victory Garden Broccoli

Companion Gardening – Three Sisters: Summer Squash, Corn and Pole Beans

There was the classic example of companion gardening used by the American Indians called the ‘Three Sisters.’

Here the summer squash shades the ground for the corn to grow without competition from the weeds; the corn is the ‘pole’ for the green beans and the beans add nitrogen to the soil to feed the summer squash and the corn.

What a great collaborative effort in the name of survival – we can all learn from that even if we don’t eat our veggies.

Bricks made of worm castings to be added to your garden

There was also a compost demonstration area along with a section on worm composting. They had made some bricks out of worm castings that they plan to give away on Sunday. Other freebies included seeds from Ecology Action and the Food Network.

To round out the Slow Food Nation celebration – on one side of the Victory Garden, there were stands from a number of local sustainable farms showcasing one example of their many summer crops. Most of these farms attend many of the Farmer’s Markets that happen through out the week in cities around the Bay Area.

On the other side of the gardens were food stands selling hand crafted foods – most local and some from other parts of the US.

The Topsy Turvey Bus

All in all it was a great afternoon – educational and full of inspiration. In this topsy turvey world of food choices (what the heck should I eat?) and questions of food safety, there’s hope some will walk away with the desire to plant a few seeds.

After all, what’s healthier than home grown veggies? …and you’ll certainly know the source. So grab your worm casting brick, your packets of seeds and hop on the bus!

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Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities dedicated to Taste Education, Defending Biodiversity and Building Food Communities. Slow Food USA believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table and celebrating the diversity of the earth’s bounty.

Slow Food Nation ’08 is part promotion for the cause, part education and part celebration of how far we’ve come since the Slow Food movement began in Italy in 1986. It is expected that 50,000 people will be participating in the festivities. We’re mainly interested in the Victory Gardens so will pop over to tour that.

Change

The point is that we can and do have a say in how our food is grown and we do not have to succumb to the industrialization of our food supply…we do not have to live the life of the Fast Food Nation.

While the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco seems to celebrate perhaps the more gourmet (and costly) items on the food palate – certainly foods that are outside the budgets of the average person – we can take the message…the mission of Slow Food USA and find ways to make the changes that make sense in the context of our living situation.

For what is at stake – but the most precious possession of all – our health.

Industrialized food has been implicated as the cause of most of today’s chronic diseases. Study after study shows people who eat more fresh vegetables and fruit (read: less processed foods) are healthier.

Industrialized food’s dependence on oil is undisputed

• 10% of fossil fuel used in the US goes towards food production
• 40% of the energy used for food production is used for producing pesticides and fertilizers – that’s 5 ½ gallons of fuel per acre
• Fertilizer runoff is responsible for a ‘dead zone’ the size of New Jersey at the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico
• 23% of the energy used for food production is used for processing and packaging
• The food in the typical grocer has traveled an average of 1,500 miles

Industrial food has decreased our food diversity

• Historically we cultivated up to 7000 species of plants
• Today, 90% of our food comes from 15 plant and 8 animal species
• Biodiversity is important because a varied gene pool helps with natural pest and disease control as well as providing a more complete nutritional profile for our plate

Industrial food increases our chances of food borne illness

• Many processed animal products are made from a pool of thousands of animals from multiple sources. One diseased animal can contaminate thousands of pounds of product
• Even fresh produce can be pooled and repackaged before sent out to retailers
• These practices and others make it all the more likely for contamination and food borne illnesses to occur.

Fresher food, grown locally without chemical fertilizers and pesticides IS no doubt healthier for us – more nutrients, less contaminants – both chemical and microbial, less green house gasses, less pollution.

Do we need yet another multi-million dollar study to prove this to us? Don’t you know it in your gut?

It’s within our power to choose to commit to the principle of supporting sustainability and biodiversity for our food supply, though it’s not always the easiest (but surprisingly sometimes is) route to getting a meal into our stomach.

The beauty of moving toward a healthier food model though is – it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. We can slowly take steps towards improving the quality of what we put into our bodies. After all, we are worth the effort.

One way to start no matter where you shop is to cut back or stop eating altogether, processed foods: frozen dinners, canned soups, baked goods, etc. Buy and eat more vegetables and fresh meats. While many items may not be local you are reducing your consumption of industrialized foods.

Another place to start is your local farmer’s market as these markets have rules ensuring vendors are local. Peruse the items, shop, taste – learn what’s in season. Take home something new to try.

Another way to eat local and fresh is to plant a vegetable garden. Yes!
It can be anything from a few pots in a sunny spot on the front stoop or balcony to your entire backyard or maybe even replacing your front lawn.

It may very well be that the Victory in the Victory Garden is that of reclaiming our food – the source of our energy, vitality and health.

No matter how or where in the process you start, the important thing is to remember that every step, big or small, is a step towards a healthier food model which translates into a healthier you.

Eat your veggies!

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His house is modest and solar powered. He dug up his lawn and replaced it with edibles. (He also has a TV show, book and non-toxic cleaning product line.)

The reporter asked Ed: What can the average person do to reduce their environmental impact. Ed’s reply was that living reducing one’s carbon footprint was not extremely difficult. He lives a modern life. His advice was to go for the low hanging fruit.

What small and easy changes can you make to reduce your footprint.
If growing all your produce is out of reach, how about a fruit tree and perhaps growing lettuce in a small container. Maybe a few herbs.

What stops people from embracing veggie gardening…
Is it time?, work?, know-how?, or a resistance to change?

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