Sustainable Farm: Why Paying Premiums Can Go A Long Way
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Perhaps, like most people, you’ve never really thought about where your food comes from, before it arrives in the supermarket, that is. Most of us are happy to go on our daily lives thinking that ignorance is bliss –what we don’t know won’t kill us, right?
Going to organic markets and paying more money for food seems like a ridiculous idea – why pay 50% more for a product you can easily pick up for cheap at your supermarket – it would make your frugal grandmother weep! We are living in the age of climate change – we hear about it, talk about and yes, we can all feel the rising temperatures- it just seems to get hotter each year. But how does what we put on our table affect our environment? Will buying a $3.99 basket of blueberries really stop climate change? Should we really care about how our food was grown, much more than how much it costs?
Sustainable farming is based on the thought that the food we grow should not have a negative impact on the environment, as well as be healthy for people and humane to the animals involved and supports the local communities. Most commercial farming, which caters to the high demands of consumers, do not take the impact their activities have on the environment. Slaughterhouses, for example, are the big villains in this story – they not only prey on poor immigrants looking for jobs, but the wastes from such plants pollute their surroundings as well. If you ever visit such places (much like Eric Schlosser did for his book, Fast Food Nation) you’ll probably never eat meat again.
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Farms which practice sustainable farming, don´t just go for the bottom line. They care about how what they do impacts the natural environment, use natural techniques, treat their workers fairly and give back to the environment. They sell locally, minimizing their use of oil for transportation and some even make use of renewable energy sources to power their farms. Farmers do not use chemical fertilizers and insecticides (which can poison groundwater) and instead rely on nature to keep their crops healthy and pest-free. Animal farms treat their livestock humanely, allowing them to graze free and feeding them natural foods, rather than hormone-enhanced feeds to speed up their maturity and increase their mass.
Many supporters agree that sustainably-farmed foods just taste better, but really, it´s their minimal impact on the environment which should be the reason you should buy sustainable. Yes, they cost more, but that´s because many people – the farmers, the workers and YOU – will reap benefits from the extra dollar you decide to put into your food. Next time you have to go food shopping, show your support with your wallet – patronize local farmers practicing sustainable agriculture and you´ll be supporting your own future as well.
By Maria Belgado
Additional resources:
Sustainable Table
Defining Sustainable Agriculture – New York Times
Sustainable Farming Blog
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