Organic Consumers Association
The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children’s health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics.
GRACE Communications Foundation
organic agriculture
Joan’s Organic Garden
A video tour through Joan Gussow’s organic garden.
Rockland Farm Alliance: A New Paradigm for Suburban Community Farms
Since 1930, Rockland County, New York has lost most of its 900 farms. As land was bought up by developers, the county that once provided food to Manhattan became a landscape dominated by supermarket chains. Enter the Rockland Farm Alliance.
We'll Drink to That: NOSB Requires Organic Beer to be Made with Organic Hops
Thanks to an outpouring of grassroots support and a prudent policy adjustment, organic beer will soon be more... organic.
Our Hero: Brian Gotreaux of Gotreaux Family Farms in Scott, Louisiana
Brian Gotreaux never made the conscious decision to become an organic farmer-- it was simply a matter of getting healthy. After years of hard work, Brian and his wife Dawn successfully run an organic farm, a CSA and a farmer’s market all while educating their community about the benefits of organic farming.
Gardens Across America
With gardening season under way in all but the coldest of zones, we have gathered a gaggle of gardeners from around the country and asked them to share some tips with us. The slide show is a peek into the beginnings of their space for this 2011 growing season.
10 Ways: So You Want to Save the Ocean
The ocean covers 71 percent of our planet and drives our climate and our economy. It’s also in trouble. Here’s an easy, and different, top ten list of ways to help the ocean out.
Our Hero: Julie Bass, 'Outlaw' Front Yard Veggie Gardener
The city of Oak Park recently dropped misdemeanor charges against Julie Bass, but not before threatening her with 93 days in jail. Here, she speaks with us about her love of gardening, why she chose to fight the good fight and how her experience has affected her view of the food movement.
After Irene: Impacted Northeast Farms and How You Can Help
Hurricane Irene caused the worst flooding eastern upstate New York and Vermont have seen in centuries, devastating farms and dairies throughout the Northeast. We've mapped as many as we could find, as well as local events organized to support them.
Film Review - The Real Dirt on Farmer John
This documentary tells the story of one farm in Illinois and the man who was responsible for its evolution from a failing single-family farm into a lively and successful community farm.
Farming in St. Croix: A Day in the Life
In January 2011, I fled the Big Apple in favor of the Ridge to Reef Farmer Residency at the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute in St. Croix.
Sustainable Crop Production
Sustainable crop production is a way of growing or raising food in an ecologically and ethically responsible manner. This includes adhering to agricultural and food production practices that do not harm the environment, that provide fair treatment to workers, and that support and sustain local communities.
Sustainable Agriculture - The Basics
Sustainable agriculture involves production methods that provide healthy food for consumers, do not harm the environment, respect workers, are humane to animals, provide fair wages to farmers, and support farming communities.
Organic Agriculture
What does "organic" actually mean? Find information about the USDA's National Organic Program, including its benefits and shortcomings.
Organic
The fundamentals of organic farming - the ideals of land stewardship in order to keep the land productive for future generations - are not new. However, organic farming as we know it today came about as a reaction to the wide adoption of input-intensive farming around the time of World War II, as a result of technological advances made earlier in the century and food shortages experienced during the war. Farmers around the world saw the potential dangers of industrialized farming and rejected the idea that this was advancement in agriculture. They began to study and develop methods that increased the long term productivity of their farm system and practice farming as stewards of the land. This type of farming came to be known as "organic."
Handouts - Questions to Ask
One of the keys to learning something new is to ask the right questions. Here is our series of questions to ask farmers and store managers about their wares along with the answers you should be listening for.
