guatemalan organic farms

Heidi.A.Busse@Lawrence.edu
Wed, 14 Oct 1998 14:45:07 +0000

sorry about the length of that article -- i should have posted a warning
-- was anyone else desiring more information about the cultural and
ecological impact that organic farming has made on guatemalan farmers
(granted, the article was from "the wall street journal," so the
economic focus of the article should be expected) -- BUT . . . i'm
curious if the farmers recognize a change in their lifestyles as organic
farmers rather than farmers that use pesticides? was it a conscientious
value-based decision to farm organically, or were they forced to because
of economic and political factors? are these farmers actually "farming"
or just collecting the native plants . . . and is that a fair
distinction? and have these farmers actually "learned of the
comparative advantages of selling organic premium-priced goods?" this
point really bothers me . . . are they farming organically simply
because it brings them more money, and if they could receive more money
for pesticide-laden produce, would they?

i hope that readers of this "TWSJournal's" article don't come away from
it with "green, greedy eyes" for organic farming --

i believe that farmers are those who truly desire to cultivate a
personal relationship with the land and to communicate with it, . . .
their desire comes from a spiritual commitment to the preservation of
the Earth . . . and an unselfish understanding that they share the Earth
with many other current AND future inhabitants -- .

take care,

heidi

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