The Rural Voice, 2005-03, Page 30The audience at the Guelph Organic Conference gave John Ikerd sustained applause after his keynote address.
A different choice
Deep organics can help sustain rural communities,
U.S. farm economist tells Guelph Organic Conference
Story and photos by Jeffrey Carter
Organic agriculture needs to be
about more than a minimum
set of standards coupled with
the industrialized model of food
delivery. Instead, it should be about
individual relationships, commun-
ities, and the covenant of permanence
between man and nature.
U.S. agricultural economist John
Ikerd came to these conclusions in
his keynote address at the Guelph
Organic Conference in Guelph,
Ontario, in January.
"It was easy to see early on that this
unification of standards would lead
to industrialization," Ikerd says.
"I've met smaller organic
producers who have already lost their
markets in the grocery chains and
have gone broke, the same way that
conventional farmers have."
(Ikerd says Canadian organic
standards may be moving in a better
direction as compared to US
standards. That's because they allow
for greater regulatory diversity.)
It isn't inevitable, however, that
organic farmers adapt an industrial
model that demands they specialize,
standardize and consolidate, Ikerd
26 THE RURAL VOICE
says. Instead, they need to move
beyond this limited vision and
consider the human and natural
communities. Justice, equity, social
responsibility, and sustainability need
to be apart of the equation as much
economic viability.
"You cannot put those things into a
set of regulations; they have to be
written in the minds of people," Ikerd
says.
There are already converts.
Ikerd refers to the Hartman Group,
a market research firm headquartered
in Bellevue, Washington. They report
that 28 per cent of North American
consumers are willing to pay a
premium for food produced in an
ethical manner.
Sherry Anderson and Paul Rae, in
their book Culture Creatives have
determined that a similar percentage
of North Americans feel strongly
about the maintenance of natural
ecosystems and social justice issues.
They're the type of person most
likely to use their buying power to
support grassroots organic
agriculture, he concludes.
Ikerd also cites the Slow Food
Movement, a loosely -knit
organization with 80,000 members in
more than 100 countries. Along with
promoting culinary excellence, the
organization defends food and
agricultural diversity around the
world.
Support for organic agriculture can
also be generated along the urban
fringe, Ikerd feels. Small, family -
operated, organic farms are the type
of farms people generally like being
near.
"I think local organics can save the
farmland and save communities at
the same time ... Organic farms
could even replace golf courses as
green space."
Ikerd says organic farms could
even be incorporated as an integral
part of communities. For instance, of
a 100 -acre parcel, 80 to 90 acres
might be treated as farmland and the
remainder as a residential area. It's
not pie -in -the -sky, he adds. The
concept has been in place in Europe
for years.
A renewed commitment to
sustainable agricultural systems is
important to the long-term needs of