Alternative Agriculture News
Volume 18, Number 5 (May 2000)
Henry A. Wallace Center for Agricultural & Environmental Policy at Winrock
International
9200 Edmonston Road, Suite 117
Greenbelt, MD 20770 USA
Phone: (301) 441-8777, Fax: (301) 220-0164
E-mail: wallacecenter@winrock.org
Web site: www.hawiaa.org
* * *
If You Are Interested in Sustainable Agriculture . . .
In addition to this monthly newsletter, the Henry A. Wallace Center for
Agricultural & Environmental Policy at Winrock International (formerly the
Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture) publishes the
"American Journal of Alternative Agriculture," a quarterly, peer-reviewed
journal of research on alternative agriculture. It is a scientific forum
for disseminating technical, economic, and social research findings about
the character and requirements of alternative agriculture systems.
Fine-scale analysis of soil quality for various land uses and landforms in
central Honduras is the lead article in the current issue (Volume 14,
Number 4, 1999) of AJAA. Other articles cover breeding corn for adaptation
to two diverse intercropping companions; the impact of irrigated
agricultural practices on environmental quality and human health in the
West Bank; trying and buying locally grown produce at the workplace:
results of a marketing intervention; and evaluating consumer knowledge of
alternative agriculture commodities: the case of IPM produce.
For U.S. subscribers, one volume (four issues) costs US$44 for libraries,
US$24 for individuals, and US$12 for students; foreign rates are also
available. For more information, contact the Wallace Center, 9200
Edmonston Road, Suite 117, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1551 USA; (301) 441-8777;
wallacecenter@winrock.org.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Report Identifies Challenges, Potential of Organic Foods Market
Organic Cropland Doubled in 1990s, Says New ERS Report
Government Needs to Combat Nitrogen Pollution--Academy Report
Organic Food Industry is "Winning Respect," Says N.Y. Times
As Farmers Cut Back Biotech Crops, Industry Fights Back with Ads
Science Panel Recommends Tighter Regs on Biotech Plants
Resources
Position
Upcoming Events
REPORT IDENTIFIES CHALLENGES, POTENTIAL OF ORGANIC FOODS MARKET
The future of the organic foods industry "looks bright" if it can meet
major challenges that include ensuring that products labeled "organic"
satisfy the criteria for organic food, according to a new report just
published by the Henry A. Wallace Center for Agricultural & Environmental
Policy at Winrock International. "Organic Food Markets in Transition," by
Carolyn Dimitri of the USDA's Economic Research Service and Nessa Richman
of the Wallace Center, identifies the most critical issues confronting the
organic foods industry, develops potential approaches to resolve the
issues, and outlines a future research agenda.
As the organic foods market develops, defining a uniform standard for
organic foods is one of the two most critical challenges it faces; the
other is identifying why out-of-stock problems persist at the retail level,
and taking appropriate measures to correct them. "New and established
companies can coexist and prosper--provided that they squarely face the
challenges posed by an immature distribution network and less than complete
regulation," the report said. "If they are successful, the organic foods
industry has the potential to deliver significant environmental and social
benefits not only to its own suppliers and consumers, but also to society
at large."
According to the authors' research, lack of current standards and
uncertainty about future standards was one of the top challenges named by
natural foods retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, and organic and
sustainable food farmers. Retailers' other challenges were gaining new
skills, training, financing, equipment, and/or processes; allocating staff
time; and finding appropriate agricultural producers. Distributors' other
challenges were pricing and marketing, finding appropriate agricultural
producers, and distributing enough of the desired products to
retailers. Farmers' other challenges were difficulty gaining new skills,
training, financing, equipment, and/or processes, and difficulty finding
distributors.
"Organic Food Markets in Transition" is $15 from the Wallace Center, 9200
Edmonston Rd. Ste. 117, Greenbelt, MD 20770-1551; (301) 441-8777;
wallacecenter@winrock.org.
ORGANIC CROPLAND DOUBLED IN 1990s, SAYS NEW ERS REPORT
Certified organic cropland more than doubled from 1992 to 1997, with two
organic livestock sectors--eggs and dairy--growing even faster, according
to a new report on U.S. organic agriculture by the USDA's Economic Research
Service. Organic farming became one of the fastest growing segments of U.S.
agriculture during the 1990s, the report said. But the overall adoption
level is still small: only about 0.2 percent of all U.S. cropland was
certified organic in 1997. About 0.1 percent of the top U.S. field
crops--corn and soybeans--were grown under certified organic farming
systems, the report found. However, about 2 percent of top fruit and
vegetable crop acreage--apples, carrots, lettuce, and grapes--was managed
organically in 1997. Farmers in 49 states dedicated 1.3 million acres of
farmland to organic production in 1997. Two-thirds of the farmland was used
for growing crops, with the top-producing states being Idaho, California,
North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Iowa. Colorado
and Alaska had the largest amount of organic pasture and rangeland. Organic
farming "is expected to get a major boost when federal rules are approved
for the nation's long-delayed organic certification program," according to
The Washington Post. "Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has said he
expects the rules to be finalized by year's end, and officials predict
federally approved labels will be on foods by 2002."
The USDA report is available on the Internet at
www.ers.usda.gov/whatsnew/issues/organic/.
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO COMBAT NITROGEN POLLUTION--ACADEMY REPORT
The federal government, working with state and local agencies, should
develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat nitrogen and phosphorus
pollution from fertilizers in coastal waters, according to a new report by
the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. "The
overabundance of these nutrients--especially nitrogen--is causing serious
environmental damage on all of the nation's coasts," said the committee
that wrote the report. Of 139 coastal areas recently assessed, 44 were
identified as severely affected by high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus,
the report said. Problems are particularly severe in the Gulf of Mexico,
where a "dead zone" forms each spring.
Nitrogen makes its way to coastal waters from the atmosphere and upstream
watersheds, via rivers that have been polluted by agricultural runoff,
wastewater treatment plants, and the burning of fossil fuels. Excess
nitrogen exacerbates algal blooms such as red tides, destroys sea grass,
and causes other environmental problems, according to the report. The
report recommended a national strategy to reduce the number of severely
damaged coastal areas by at least 25 percent before 2020.
"Clean Coastal Waters: Understanding and Reducing the Effects of Nutrient
Pollution" is $44.95 plus $4.50 shipping from the National Academy Press,
1-800-624-6242; more information is available on the Internet at
http://nationalacademies.org.
SUSTAINABLE COFFEE LABEL MAY BE IN THE WORKS
Representatives of coffee roasters, importers, and environmentalists have
agreed to work toward "harmonizing criteria to certify specialty coffee
products" that are grown sustainably, according to The New York Times
(April 1, 2000). Convened by the three-nation environmental agency set up
under the North American Free Trade Agreement, a meeting in Mexico focused
on shade-grown coffee, "an environmental favorite in recent years as
scientists have realized the ecological role played by the forest canopy
that blankets many coffee farms. . . . Sweeping ecological devastation has
been caused by farmers who have cleared vast forests to plant
higher-producing hybrid coffee plants that flourish in the open sun." The
agreement among meeting participants could produce a single label, perhaps
"sustainable coffee," that would assure consumers that the beans have been
produced under conditions good for health, the environment, and workers.
ORGANIC FOOD INDUSTRY IS "WINNING RESPECT," SAYS N.Y. TIMES
Although the organic food industry "is not on the track to achieving
market power, it is winning respect--and that alone is something of a
revolution in agriculture," according to an article in The New York Times
Money & Business Section (April 9, 2000). "Sales growing faster than any
other segment of the food industry," it said. "Consumer fears about
biotechnology spurring interest. Low price for commodity crops encouraging
conventional farmers to take the organic plunge. Add it all up and there
has never been a more receptive moment for organic farming." Yet organic
products are starting from such a small base "that it would take years of
mind-boggling growth to gain a truly substantial share of the retail food
sector." But the organic movement "could easily achieve an influential
share of 10 percent or more in some parts of the industry," and "is now
seen as an innovative standard setter that is pulling all of conventional
agriculture toward higher environmental standards and more sustainable
practices," according to the story. "State universities are scrambling to
get their extension agents, who advise farmers, up to speed" on organic
methods.
AS FARMERS CUT BACK BIOTECH CROPS, INDUSTRY FIGHTS BACK WITH ADS
Only days after the USDA forecasted in April that farmers plan to cut back
on genetically engineered crops this year by 24 percent, the biotechnology
industry launched a $50 million advertising campaign to convince consumers
that genetically engineered products are safe. Farmers in corn-producing
states have indicated that they will plant 19 percent of their corn acreage
this year with a biotech product, compared to 25 percent last year,
according to The Washington Post (April 1, 2000); soybeans could be reduced
by 9 percent, according to The New York Times (April 1, 2000). Analysts had
expected the reduction in biotech corn planting "because of resistance to
the corn in overseas markets," according to The Post. That resistance has
also led to the new advertising campaign, according to The Wall Street
Journal (April 4, 2000), which said "the crop-biotechnology industry,
wounded by a backlash in Europe, is launching an advertising campaign aimed
at preventing the same thing from happening in the U.S." The three-year
campaign will have TV and newspaper ads, and a Web site. The world's seven
largest biotechnology companies, including DuPont, Dow Chemical, and
Monsanto, have formed the Council for Biotechnology Information to
coordinate the effort.
SCIENCE PANEL RECOMMENDS TIGHTER REGS ON BIOTECH PLANTS
Federal regulatory agencies should "do a better job of coordinating their
work and expanding public access" on regulating plants genetically
engineered to resist pests, according to a scientific panel convened by the
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. In its
report, the panel said there was no evidence that genetically modified
foods on the market today are unsafe to eat. It called on the EPA, USDA,
and Food and Drug Administration to "quickly come to an agreement on each
agency's role in regulating plants that have been genetically modified to
resist pests," and to "monitor ecological impacts of pest-protected crops
on a long-term basis to ensure the detection of problems that may not have
been predicted from tests conducted during the registration and approval
process." The panel’s report also "supports long-standing efforts by the
EPA to regulate genetically modified plants differently from the way it
regulates pesticides," according to The Washington Post (April 6, 2000).
"Genetically Modified Pest-Protected Plants: Science and Regulation" is
$50 plus $4.50 shipping from the National Academy Press, 1-800-624-6242;
more information is available on the Internet at http://nationalacademies.org.
RESOURCES
"Assessing the Soil System: A Review of Soil Quality Literature" is
available from Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Energy and Sustainable
Agriculture Program, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107; (651) 296-7673;
Mark.Zumwinkle@state.mn.us.
"Catalog of Federal Funding Sources for Water Protection" is available on
the Internet at www.epa.gov/OWOW/watershed/wacademy, or from the National
Service Center for Environmental Publications, 1-800-490-9198.
"Organic Fiber Directory" is $25 plus $3 shipping from Organic Trade
Association, (413) 774-7511; info@ota.com.
"Comparing Apples to Apples: An Iowa Perspective on Apples and Local Food
Systems" is available from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
209 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011; (515) 294-1854;
rspirog@iastate.edu.
"Compost & Mulch User's Guide," and supplementary materials, are available
from Barclay Hudson, LandLab, Cal Poly Pomona, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona,
CA 91768; (909) 869-5292; bhudson@fielding.edu.
"Successful, Safe, and Sustainable Alternatives to Persistent Organic
Pollutants" is available on the Internet at www.worldwildlife.org/toxics,
or from World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St. NW, Washington, DC 20037.
POSITION
The Food Alliance seeks a sales and marketing professional to help
implement its labeling recognition program; send letter and resume to The
Food Alliance, 1829 NE Alberta Ste. 5, Portland, OR 97211; for detailed
position description on the Internet, see www.TheFoodAlliance.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 26-28, Prairie Festival 2000 will be held at the Land Institute, 2440
E. Water Well Rd., Salina, KS 67401; contact TLI, (785) 823-5376; on the
Internet, www.LandInstitute.org.
June 1-August 15, "A Practical Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture," a
Naropa University course, will be held at Hedgerow Farm, Boulder, CO;
contact Cheryl Mulholland, Hedgerow Farm, 8328 Valmont Rd., Boulder, CO
80301; (303) 666-6397; hedgerowfarm@aol.com.
June 6-8, Natural Products Expo Europe will be held in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands; contact Peter Sofroniou, International Education Director,
phone +44 1273 384282.
June 9 is the deadline for manuscripts for inclusion in the symposium
proceedings of "Integrated Decision-Making for Watershed Management," to be
held January 7-9, 2001, in Chevy Chase, MD; for abstract guidelines on the
Internet, see www.conted.vt.edu/watershed.htm, or contact Dr. Darrell
Bosch, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, (540) 231-5265, bosch@vt.edu.
June 17-22, "Transcending Boundaries: Natural Resource Management from
Summit to Sea," the 8th International Symposium on Society and Resource
Management, will be held in Bellingham, WA; contact ISSRM, Conference
Services MS 5293, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
98225-5293; (360) 650-6821; diana.bakkom@wwu.edu; on the Internet,
www.ac.wwu.edu/~issrm8th/.
June 22-23, "How to Profit in a Maturing Market," the 4th Annual Natural
Business Financial, Investment and Market Trends Conference for Natural,
Organic and Nutritional Products, will be held in Berkeley, CA; contact
Natural Business Communications, Dept. C, P.O. Box 7370, Boulder, CO
80306-7370; (303) 442-8983; on the Internet, www.NaturalBusiness.com.
June 26-August 17, "Sustainable Agriculture: Principles and Practices," an
8-unit course, will be held at the Student Experiment Farm, University of
California, Davis; contact Mark Van Horn, Student Farm Pomology
Department, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616;
(530) 752-7645; mxvanhorn@ucdavis.edu; on the Internet,
http://studentfarm.ucdavis.edu/.
September-December, a course in Agroecology will be held at the
Agricultural University of Norway in Aas; students may apply via the
University of NebraskaLincoln, through a cooperative agreement with
Agricultural University of Norway; for application information, contact
Chuck Francis, University of NebraskaLincoln, 225 Keim Hall, Lincoln, NE
68583-0949; (402) 472-1581; cfrancis2@unl.edu; on the Internet,
www.agsci.kvl.dk/coem/nova/ms.html.
***
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