Fall/Winter 2004, Vol. 22. No. 2 - Center for Agroecology

20 Pages·2005·1.17 MB·English

The CENTER for AGROECOLOGY & SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
FALL/WINTER 2004 VOL. 22, NO. 2
in this issue:
USDA Grant Bolsters 1 USDA Grant Funds
Organic Research
New grant funds
Research with Central
ongoing efforts to find
answers to organic
production questions Coast Organic Farmers
Consumer Interest 5
in Food Systems Issues
Center researchers With organic agriculture poised to represent 10 to 20
survey Central Coast
percent of California cropland by 2024, the federal
consumers’ attitudes
government has tapped UC Santa Cruz to lead a
toward food system
research program that will give organic farmers the same
Center Produces 7 kind of boost the university has given conventional farmers
New Training Manual for decades.
Resources for teaching The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded UCSC’s
direct marketing and Environmental Studies Department a $571,000 grant over four
Strawberry production is a focus
small farm viability skills
years to bolster scientific knowledge about organic systems and of UCSC researchers and farmers
now available to strengthen the Central Coast network of organic farmers who’ve teamed up on a USDA-
funded study of organic farming
Managing Nitrogen 8 an d agricultural researchers. Researchers and staff from the systems.
Center researcher Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (the
reports on international Center) will play key roles in this effort.
efforts to reduce In collaboration with farmers, agroecology researchers at
nitrogen runoff
UCSC have pioneered organic production methods for straw-
New Book Looks 9 berries and other important regional crops. This project will
at Changes in build on those successes and prepare the organic industry for
Food System continued rapid growth by developing baseline nutrient man-
Progress and challenges agement tools and addressing stubborn challenges, such as soil
documented in pathogens and pest management.
Together at the Table “Conventional farmers have decades worth of research
Growing Stone Fruit 15 to draw on, while organic growers have very little scientific
Garden manager offers data to rely on,” said environmental studies professor Carol
ideas for choosing and Shennan, the Center’s director and one of four UCSC leaders
growing stone fruit in of the project.
backyard gardens “Organic production is a complex system that integrates
soil fertility, crop rotation, water management, and pest and
disease control. It requires a systems approach, but agricultural
research has historically tended to focus on narrow, single-is-
sue problems.”
From the Director 4
Research Updates 10 GRANT BOLSTERS COORDINATED RESEARCH PROGRAM
Center Notes 12 The grant will fund a series of coordinated experiments
Events 20 at multiple locations in the Monterey Bay region designed to
give farmers hands-on information. The results will be dis-
persed throughout the farming community with the help of
organizations such as California Certified Organic Farmers,
the Organic Farming Research Foundation, the Community
> continues on next page
“OUR JOB IS TO TAKE [THE FARMERS’] PROBLEMS AND
DO THE RESEARCH THEY NEED TO SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS,”
SAID STEVE GLIESSMAN.
Alliance with Family Farmers, and the Agriculture and
Finding practical Jo
Land-Based Training Association. UCSC’s research team ways to suppress ji M
will be made up of Shennan, environmental studies professor soil-borne diseases, u
Stephen Gliessman, research associate Joji Muramoto, and control pests, and ram
manage nutri- o
entomologist Sean Swezey, the Center for Agroecology and ents efficiently to
Sustainable Food System’s associate director. in organic straw-
berry systems are
“Over the years, we’ve done research that farmers want,
major goals of the
and they’ve had a role in directing it,” said Gliessman, the integrated research
Alfred E. Heller Professor of Agroecology. “Our job is to efforts.
take their problems and do the research they need to solve
those problems.”
Gliessman recalls the skepticism that greeted early col-
laborations. “When we started this work 17 years ago with
Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry Farms, people said, ‘You’re
crazy. You aren’t going to grow strawberries organically.’
Now, the USDA is saying, ‘This is important. It has to be
done.’ It’s the farmers who took the risk.”
Cochran will be joined by other experienced, innovative
organic growers who will participate in the study, including
Daniel Schmida of Sandpiper Farms and Steve Pedersen of state. Anaerobic decomposition of cover crop residues and
High Ground Organics. Landowner Robert Stephens has biofumigation with Brassicas will be evaluated. Given the
also set aside a portion of his acreage at Elkhorn Ranch for upcoming ban on methyl bromide, such experiments may
use in the study. In addition, research will be conducted on be of value to conventional farmers, as well.
the 25-acre UCSC Farm. Representatives from UC Coopera- This part of the study will include testing a technique pio-
tive Extension offices in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, neered in the Netherlands to control a number of soilborne
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties diseases. Blocks of both a cover crop mix and mustard (Bras-
will participate, as well as a scientist from the USDA’s Ag- sica juncea) will be incorporated into the soil, then covered
ricultural Research Station in Salinas and an agricultural with a tarp as the crops decompose. Following the tarping,
economist from UC Davis. researchers will measure levels of V. dahliae in the soil to
The grant will enable researchers to take ongoing studies assess this technique’s potential for disease suppression.
to a new level and test the limits of monoculture farming, • Developing tools to help organic farmers monitor
said Gliessman. “We want to redesign the system to better changes in soil nutrient levels, or “what goes in and what
resist disease,” he said. “It may turn out to look very differ- comes out,” as Shennan put it. Researchers will analyze the
ent from what we’re used to. You probably won’t see acre nutrient value of soil amendments, including cover crops,
after acre of organic strawberries. You may see a patchwork commercial composts, and fish emulsion fertilizer, and
of strawberries and other crops, because monoculture brings document what nutrients are removed when the crop is
problems. We need to build on the strengths of diversity.” harvested. They will also develop plant tissue nitrogen tests
so farmers can assess how well their fertility management
STUDIES TO EXAMINE MULTIPLE ISSUES
is working, said Shennan. Building a database of their
By conducting replicated trials on organic farms, research- findings will give farmers a powerful resource to draw on
ers will assess the effects of crop rotations and different that will supplement their own soil tests, she said.
fertility, disease, and pest management strategies on yields, This issue is especially timely on the Central Coast, where
soil quality, weeds, pests, and soil pathogens. non-point source pollution of waterways is subject to intense
Experiments will focus on – public and regulatory scrutiny. Demonstrating organic
• Testing biological alternatives to methyl bromide to practices that help minimize leaching and runoff will be
suppress Verticillium dahliae, a soil pathogen that poses important for the region’s growers. The fertility management
the greatest threat for organic strawberry production in the work will build on several years of water monitoring data
2 THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004
“THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT REFLECTS THE IMPORTANCE
OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMY AND
UCSC’S ROLE SUPPORTING ORGANIC FARMERS,”
SAID CAROL SHENNAN.
collected by researchers from the Center
Je
for Agroecology and Sustainable Food n
n
Systems as part of the Central Coast ife
r M
project (see “Center scientist endorses c
N
nitrogen management efforts,” page 8 u
lty
of this issue).
• Applicability of three models to
simulate how management changes
could impact crop harvests, soil nitro-
gen availability, and the movement of
nutrients under a range of weather con-
ditions and for different types of soils.
If any model works well for predicting
farming outcomes in this area, it could
be used to help farmers make decisions
about crop rotations, cover crop use,
and management of fertility inputs,
said Shennan.
• Use of organic pest control to combat
pests that prey on strawberries. Vacuum
devices and an alfalfa trap crop will be
tested against the western tarnished
UCSC researchers, from left, Sean Swezey, Stephen Gliessman,
plant bug (WTPB, Lygus hesperus), and researchers will
Joji Muramoto, and Carol Shennan are collaborating with organic
evaluate the movement and effectiveness of beneficial insects farmers, including Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry Farms.
introduced into or near the trap crop vegetation. Research-
ers will also assess the value of native-plant hedgerows in
producers have benefited from partnerships with UCSC
attracting beneficial insects that prey on crop predators.
researchers and UC Cooperative Extension specialists.
This work will expand on research efforts showing that
In Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, more than $140
alfalfa can be an effective trap crop for WTPB and can be
million, or 6 percent, of the region’s $2 billion vegetable
managed to reduce energy use associated with crop vacuum-
production in 2001 was certified organic, according to
ing, as well as enhance populations of beneficial insects. For
Shennan, and the two counties generated more than $400
results from an earlier phase of this study, see “Trap crops
million gross value in strawberries. The California organic
show potential to reduce pest damage, save time and energy
agriculture industry has grown quickly, producing sales of
in organic strawberry production,” The Cultivar, Vol. 22
$340 million in 2003, according to the California Depart-
No. 1, Spring/Summer 2004.
ment of Agriculture Organic Program. The state produces
Results from the various studies will be passed on to nearly half of the total organic vegetables certified in the
growers via a combination of meetings, trainings, field days, United States; strawberries are the most lucrative organic
listening sessions, focus groups, and other exchange oppor- commodity in the state on a per acre basis, valued at $17.5
tunities designed to promote feedback between researchers million.
and growers. “Organic farmers face the same production challenges
as conventional growers, but the research community has
ORGANIC AG GROWING ON CENTRAL COAST overlooked their needs,” said Shennan. “With one of the old-
The scope of the project reflects the importance of organic est university-based organic research and training programs
agriculture in the economy and UCSC’s role supporting in the world and one of the pioneering academic programs
organic farmers, said Shennan. The Central Coast is well- in agroecology, UCSC is in a good position to help fill in the
known for its high concentration of organic farms, and many gaps of scientific knowledge.”
– Jennifer McNulty
THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004 3
from the center staff
director
CAROL SHENNAN, PH D Director
PATRICIA ALLEN, PH D Specialist–Social Issues, Assoc. Dir.
SEAN SWEZEY, PH D Specialist–Extension, Assoc. Dir.
BARBARA MAXIMOVICH Assistant to the Director
JOAN TANNHEIMER Program Assistant
DIANE NICHOLS Apprenticeship Coordinator
ORIN MARTIN Apprentice Course Associates
Our fall/winter issue crept into your mailbox behind CHRISTOF BERNAU
schedule in part because we’ve been busy with an ANN LINDSEY Apprentice Course Grant Writer
array of projects that have been keeping the Center ALBIE MILES Curriculum Editor
staff on the run. JIM LEAP Operations Manager
One of those projects is the culmination of a two-year THOMAS WITTMAN Operations Assistant
effort to create a follow-up to the popular organic farming
NANCY VAIL CSA Cooordinator
and gardening training manual that we produced in January
MARTHA BROWN Senior Editor
2003. Our new training resource, Teaching Direct Market-
JAN PEREZ Associate Specialist, Social Issues
ing and Small Farm Viability: Resources for Instructors
JANET BRYER Research Assistants
offers lecture outlines, student exercises, and other resources
ALEX FIELDS
to help teach the skills growers need to make their farm or DIEGO NIETO
market garden operation economically viable (page 7). CLAIRE PHILLIPS
Patricia Allen, the Center’s social issues specialist and MARC LOS HUERTOS, PH D Post-Doctoral Researchers
associate director, also completed a major project this fall. PHIL HOWARD, PH D
Her new book, Together at the Table: Sustainability and DORON COMERCHERO, Second-Year Apprentices
Sustenance in the American Agrifood System, documents NATHAN FRIGARD, JENNIFER JAMES, KATE POSEY, CHRIS
the significant changes brought about by the sustainable SIEGRIEST, LAURA WILLIAMS, ADAM WILSON, DARRY WONG
agriculture and food systems movement, while cautioning
faculty affiliates
that much more needs to be done in order to create a truly
sustainable food system (page 9).
We’ve also produced a new title in the Center’s Research Jenny Anderson, Weixin Cheng, E. Melanie DuPuis, Laurel Fox,
Briefs series, summarizing a study of Central Coast consum- Margaret FitzSimmons, Greg Gilbert, Steve Gliessman, David
Goodman, Julie Guthman, Karen Holl, Deborah Letourneau,
ers’ interest in various food system issues. Center researchers
Michael Loik, Manuel Pastor, Ravi Rajan, Alan Richards,
Phil Howard and Jan Perez discovered some interesting
Patricia Zavella
trends in focus groups and through a mail survey as consum-
ers had a chance to offer feedback on food system issues that
concern them, and to rate some of the environmental and
ethical criteria they would support through their shopping
choices (page 5).
On another food-related note, our community support Fall/Winter 2004, Volume 22, No. 2
group, the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, produced The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems is located at the
its third cookbook project in late fall. The new cookbook, University of California, Santa Cruz. Through our research and educational
efforts we seek to increase understanding of the social, economic, political,
Fresh from the Farm & Garden: Seasonal Recipes for Busy
and ethical foundations of agricultural sustainability; to establish the
Cooks, was spearheaded by a member of our Community ecological and agronomic basis for sustainable production systems; and to
Supported Agriculture (CSA) program who assembled over demonstrate and facilitate the use of information critical to the adoption
of these systems.
100 pages of recipes, crop information, and cooking tips for
The Cultivar is published twice yearly. Current and back issues are available.
making the most of fresh produce from your favorite source,
Editor: Martha Brown.
be it a CSA farm, the farmers’ market, your own garden, or
On the UCSC campus, the Center manages the 25-acre Farm and 2-acre
the local produce store (page 12). Alan Chadwick Garden, both open daily to the public. For more information
Our research efforts received a major boost this fall in about the Center and its activities, please contact us at:
the form of a USDA grant that will help support a variety CASFS, University of California
1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
of projects with growers on the Central Coast. Agroecology
831.459-4140 or 459-3240 (telephone) 831.459-2799 (fax)
researcher Joji Muramoto put together this successful com- www.ucsc.edu/casfs
petitive grant effort described in this issue’s cover article.
This issue also hints at the bounty of summer to come other stone fruit in the backyard or small-scale orchard
with an article by Alan Chadwick Garden manager Orin (see page 13). Enjoy!
Martin on choosing and growing peaches, nectarines, and – Dr. Carol Shennan
4 THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004
Field
Center Survey Finds Consumers
Want to Know More About Their Food,
Favor Eco-labeling System
Most consumers feel that they don’t know enough Jo
about how their food is grown and processed, n K
e
how it reaches them, or what’s involved in food rs
e
marketing. They’d like to see a system of eco-labels that y
would provide information on such criteria as whether
the workers receive a living wage, whether the animals
were treated humanely, and whether the food was locally
grown.
These are some of the conclusions of a study by social
issues researchers Phil Howard and Jan Perez of the Center
for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. The study
asked consumers what aspects of food production, process-
ing, transportation, and retailing they were most interested
in knowing more about, and how they wanted to get that
information.
“Our goal was to give consumers a voice they might not
Consumers are particularly interested in food safety and nutrition,
have, and the first step was to find out what they want to
according to focus groups conducted as part of the study.
know,” said Howard, a second-year postdoctoral researcher.
“Food retailers, processors, and growers should all start environmental impacts, and working conditions all received
looking closely at these issues because people are interested an average score of greater than 7.
in supporting them through their purchases.” In the focus groups, the treatment of animals elicited
In 2004 Howard and Perez conducted five focus groups the most emotion. Several participants had toured slaugh-
and mailed a 26-question survey to 1,000 randomly selected terhouses and said this experience had a lasting effect on
households in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San them. Others had changed their consumption habits after
Benito, and Monterey Counties; the survey response rate was learning of the way some animals are treated, such as veal
48 percent.1 The study was funded by a U.S. Department of calves. For some people the interest in animal welfare may
Agriculture (USDA) grant to foster sustainable agriculture also overlap with personal health concerns. For example, a
on the Central Coast as part of the Center’s Central Coast focus group participant discussing the inhumane aspects of
Research Project. confinement animal production asked, “then are you eating
growth hormone and … or whatever you’re putting in them,
FOOD SYSTEM INTERESTS IDENTIFIED and what does that do? I mean, in the long run you know,
Eight food system-related topics were identified as what’s that doing to you?”
themes that interested the focus groups; these topics were On the issue of environmental impacts, focus group
then presented in the written survey. Not surprisingly, the participants most frequently expressed concerns related to
scores indicated that survey respondents were most inter- > continues on next page
ested in safety and nutrition; nearly all respondents ranked
Table 1. Level of interest in food system- related topic. Score of 10
these topics near the top of a scale from 1 to 10 (Table 1).
equals great amount of interest, 1 equals none at all.
A number of surveys have consistently shown these to be
important concerns, even for those with few other food-re- Mean Standard Deviation
lated interests.2,3 One focus group participant highlighted Safety 9.4 1.4
Nutrition 8.9 1.7
this fact when stating, “Who knows what the heck is in half
Treatment of animals 7.4 2.7
the stuff we buy, I mean I don’t … Frankly, I don’t care as
Environmental impacts 7.3 2.4
long as it doesn’t get me sick.”
Working conditions 7.2 2.6
This was a minority view, however, as most focus group
Wages 6.7 2.7
participants also had a number of concerns beyond their
Influence of large
personal health. The survey results supported this broader 6.6 2.9
corporations
concern. Treatment of animals involved in food production, How far food travels 5.8 3.1
THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004 5
pesticides and genetic engineering. Some participants were standards, such as the USDA’s “organic” food label, survey
also concerned about irradiation and the impacts of food respondents were asked to rank five potential “eco-labels,”
packaging or food waste. Several participants noted that defined as follows –
environmental impacts were much more important to them Humane—meat, dairy products, or eggs from animals
when compared to other concerns about the food system. that haven’t been treated cruelly
On the topic of working conditions and wages, focus Locally grown—grown within 50 miles of point of
group participants were interested in the treatment of farm purchase
workers, such as the backbreaking labor performed for Living wage—provides above-poverty wages to
very low pay, and the exploitation of migrant workers. workers involved in producing the food
Workers involved in other aspects of the food system, such U. S. grown—grown in the United States
as processing or retail, were not discussed as frequently. Small-scale—supports small farms or businesses
When asked specifically to list criteria they would like to The researchers asked respondents to imagine a product
see improved for workers involved in the food system, focus that was identical except for two of the five standards, and
group participants mentioned higher wages, protection from to choose the one that they preferred (e.g., locally grown
pesticide exposure, health care, education, adequate food, OR humane). All possible combinations were presented in a
limited working hours, and adequate housing. series of pairs. The result was a ranking of all five standards
The influence of large corporations had an average for each respondent. The researchers learned from pre-test-
score of 6.6. This theme emerged in all of the focus groups, ing the survey that these decisions were very difficult for most
though it was much more strongly held by some individu- people. Many respondents said they would prefer food that
als. One participant said, “The huge conglomerates that are represented all of these standards.
controlling agriculture really, really bother me,” and others Respondents were most enthusiastic about the idea of
named specific multinational food processors and chemical a “humane” label, with more than 30 percent citing it as
companies whose motives they distrusted. Some participants their first choice, followed by locally grown (22 percent),
blamed these corporations for the low prices that farmers living wage (16.5 percent), U.S. grown (5.9 percent), and
receive for their products and the loss of family farms. small-scale (5.2 percent).
How far food travels was the lowest-ranked topic on the The researchers also noted correlations between certain
survey, with a score of 5.8. Focus group participants had consumer characteristics and their ranking of standards.
various reasons for their interest in this topic, involving eco- For instance, women, younger people, and people that
nomic, food safety, or environmental concerns. Most focus frequently purchase organic products were all more likely
group participants wanted to know the country of origin of to rank the “humane” criteria highest. Older people and
their food. “I guess I’d like to know [where fruits and vegeta- households with children tended to rank “local” as their
bles are from] because I’d like to know are we producing our most preferred standard. And higher-income households
food or are we actually reaching out into other countries?” and Hispanic households ranked “living wage” first in their
said one participant. Some participants wanted to support list of criteria.
the U.S. economy, while others went further and expressed
interest in supporting their local economies. Another stated SUPPORT TO GUARANTEE LIVING WAGE
reason for wanting this information was concern about the In a separate question, consumers showed a strong
safety of imported food, such as the presence of pesticides willingness to pay a “price premium” for strawberries that
banned in the U.S. or contamination with microbial diseases. would guarantee a living wage and safe working condi-
Finally, some participants wanted to know how much fossil tions for farm workers. Eighty-four percent of respondents
fuel was consumed in transporting their food. said they were willing to pay a 5 cent—or 3 percent—price
Of 60 survey respondents who identified additional topics premium on a $1.50 pint of strawberries for the assurance
in a write-in section, 22% had reservations about geneti- the standards were being met. The median price premium
cally engineered food, and 15% wanted more information people were willing to pay was $1.06 per pint, or 71 per-
on pesticides. Other interests identified by more than one cent above the regular price. Given that strawberry pickers
respondent were freshness, where food was grown, and the typically earn 10.5 to 12.5 cents per pint, a 5-cent-per-pint
fate of food waste. price premium could fund a 40 percent increase in piece rate
pay, said Howard.
RANKING INFORMATION SOURCES AND PRODUCTION
“People being surveyed tend to express a greater willing-
STANDARDS
ness to pay than they actually support in the marketplace,
Howard and Perez also wanted to know the formats that but these results show the potential level of support for a
people would choose to obtain more information about their price premium,” said Howard.
food, and asked members of the focus groups which ones
they preferred. More than 80 percent of survey respondents IMPLICATIONS FOR PRODUCERS, MARKETERS
endorsed the idea of food labels as a source of the infor- The survey results indicate that growers, processors, and
mation they’re seeking, said Howard. Citing the growing retailers could do a better job of providing their custom-
popularity of seals or logos that signify food meets certain ers with information on the way that food is produced,
> continues on page 14
6 THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004
New Teaching Guide on
Direct Marketing and
Small Farm Viability Skills
For farmers, growing food is just the first step—making
the farm or market garden an economic success requires
another suite of skills, including finding land, planning what
crops to grow, marketing the crops, and managing income
and expenses.
Geared toward a broad audience of agricultural educa-
tors, Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability:
Resources for Instructors covers a variety of topics with the
goal of improving the skills it takes to make a small farm-
ing operation economically viable, and to give students a Collaborators on the new training manual
included Center staff and experts in business
background in such topics as business planning and land
planning, produce marketing, direct marketing
tenure options. The training manual is designed for – techniques, and land tenure issues.
• Post-secondary instructors at the community, state col-
lege, and university levels Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability:
• Agricultural Extension personnel Resources for Instructors is designed to be placed in a 1-
• Apprenticeship programs and other farm-training inch, 3-ring binder so that sections can be easily removed
programs and copied for class use. It is available from the Center for
• Farmers with interns Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems for $25.00 (tax
• Urban farms, community gardens, and food projects and binder included), plus $4.00 for shipping within the U.S.
with direct-marketing outlets Please contact [email protected] to inquire about
This instructor’s resource features class and field demon- overseas shipping costs.
stration outlines, trainee exercises, and resource materials, To order, send a check made payable to UC Regents
with a focus on Community Supported Agriculture. It can be to: CASFS, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, attn:
used in a classroom setting or adapted for other training for- Direct Marketing Manual. Please be sure to include your
mats, such as short courses, conferences, and field days. mailing address, or copy and fill out the form below to send
with your check. If you have questions about the resource
Table of Contents
guide, or questions about ordering, please send email to
Unit 1. Small Farm Viability
[email protected].
Unit 2. Small Farm Business Planning
Teaching Direct Marketing and Small Farm Viability:
Unit 3. Overview of Produce Marketing
Resources for Instructors is also available for free download
Unit 4. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in PDF format from the Center’s web site (www.ucsc.edu/
4.1 History and Development of CSA casfs). The CASFS web site makes many of our publica-
4.2 CSA Organization tions available online, including our first training manual,
4.3 CSA Outreach the 600-page Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening:
4.4 CSA Administration and Distribution Resources for Instructors.
4.5 CSA Crop Planning Funding for development of this publication was provided
by the True North Foundation, the Foundation for Sustain-
4.6 CSA Crop Rotation and Soil Fertility
ability and Innovation, and the Organic Farming Research
4.7 Harvest and Post-harvest Handling for CSA
Foundation.
Unit 5. Other Direct Marketing Opportunities
Name ___________________________________________
5.1 Farmers’ Markets and Roadside Stands
5.2 Collaborative Marketing Groups and Organization _____________________________________
Agricultural Cooperatives Street Address/PO Box____________________________
5.3 “Buy Local” Campaigns
City______________________________________________
5.4 Institutional Buying Arrangements
State_______________ Zip____________
5.5 Selling to Restaurants
Unit 6. Land Tenure Options email ___________________________
THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004 7
Center Scientist Endorses
Nitrogen Management Efforts
As a soil scientist with the Center for Agroecology in many regions of the world—even as most of Africa and
and Sustainable Food Systems (the Center), Marc parts of South America and Asia suffer from a deficiency of
Los Huertos helps farmers on the Central Coast reactive nitrogen in the soil.
manage nitrogen levels to maximize harvests and minimize In Nanjing, about 800 conference participants approved
pollution. the “Nanjing Declaration on Nitrogen Management,” which
Los Huertos is also part of a growing global effort to urges the United Nations Environment Program to promote
address the problem of farm-generated nitrogen pollution. understanding of the nitrogen cycle, assess consequences
Just back from the Third International Nitrogen Conference of its disturbance, provide policy advice and early-warning
in Nanjing, China, Los Huertos has a sobering message for information, and promote international cooperation.
farmers: “China is ramping up agricultural production, and With Center director Carol Shennan and researchers
strong international environmental regulations could be Claire Phillips and Alex Fields, Los Huertos monitors nitro-
what saves U.S. farming from a formidable competitor,” said gen in several important waterways along the Central Coast,
Los Huertos, who manages the Center’s research program including the Pajaro River and around the Elkhorn Slough,
on water quality monitoring in a number of Central Coast one of the largest remaining tidal wetlands in California. Ni-
watersheds. trogen levels in Central Coast agricultural watersheds have
“I saw hundreds of miles of greenhouses,” Los Huertos steadily increased since the 1950s, when levels of <1 ppm were
said of a three-week tour of the Chinese countryside that typical, according to state records compiled by Los Huertos.
followed the Nanjing conference. “If they can figure out Today, Los Huertos regularly documents levels of 10 ppm
how to get their produce here fast enough, the Chinese could in May and 20 ppm in the fall in the Pajaro River. Drinking
outcompete U.S. farmers in no time at all.” water standards allow for a maximum of 10 ppm.
Convinced that U.S. farmers have a huge stake in regula- Unlike some coastal areas where fertilizer runoff has
tions that would force global competitors to clean up their wiped out marine life, Monterey Bay circulates the ocean
act, too, Los Huertos is eager to increase public understand- water and flushes nutrients through the ecosystem. This mix-
ing of agriculture-related nitrogen pollution. ing and upwelling make it difficult for scientists to assess how
“My job is to prepare farmers for policies that might nitrogen runoff affects the bay, but it certainly has a role in
affect them, whether at the state, federal, or international the freshwater streams, according to Los Huertos.
level, so I went to China to get a sense of the international “We know we have excess nitrogen on the Central Coast,
movement,” said Los Huertos. and farmers and the state and federal government are strug-
gling with finding ways to control polluted runoff,” said
HIGH NITROGEN LEVELS PRODUCE MULTIPLE IMPACTS Los Huertos.
Nitrogen accumulation reduces biodiversity, acidifies In other coastal areas, runoff from nitrate-based fertilizers
soil and water, degrades coastal environments, reduces has had devastating consequences. In the Gulf of Mexico, a
forest productivity, contributes to the greenhouse effect, 5,000-square-mile area from the mouth of the Mississippi
and depletes the ozone. “Reactive nitrogen is so high in the River almost to the Texas border is overrun with nitrates
developed world that we’re polluting ourselves out of clean each summer, triggering an algae bloom that severely reduces
air, drinking water, and biodiversity,” he said. oxygen levels until late September.
Although essential to life, nitrogen must be converted
from a gas to a reactive form to be usable by most organ- NEW PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS NITROGEN RUNOFF
isms, including plants. The accumulation of reactive nitrogen Researchers, including Los Huertos, have been working
in the environment is largely a result of the conversion of with government regulators to address the problem. The
enormous quantities of nitrogen into fertilizers that are used debate centers on whether to take a “carrot or stick” ap-
in the production of food and fiber. Reactive nitrogen is also proach, observed Los Huertos.
a by-product of fossil fuel combustion for transportation California is considering a permit-like approach that
and energy production. would encourage farmers to take “short courses” to learn
A significant portion of nitrogen in fertilizer is never about nitrogen pollution, to adopt a water-quality protection
taken up by plants and instead runs off, contributing to the plan, or to monitor their farm’s discharge—or pay someone
“cascade” of atmospheric and aquatic nitrogen accumulating else to monitor it.
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8 THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004
New Book Examines
Progress and Pitfalls in
Developing a
Sustainable Food System
Factory farm pollution, mad cow disease, pesticide
contamination, trade wars, the obesity crisis—it often
seems like the only news coming out of the U.S. food
system is bad news.
Patricia Allen begs to differ. Her new book, Together at
the Table: Sustainability and Sustenance in the American
Agrifood System, argues that “People have been working
for years to solve environmental and social problems in the
food system, and consumers have many more choices as a
result of those efforts. From the fields to the table, our food
production and delivery system is being transformed.”
Allen, who directs the social science research program for
the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems,
wrote the book in part to document the incredible progress
in the sustainable food system movement. “It’s pretty im- Allen also documents some of the problems with the cur-
pressive when you put it all together,” she said. Among the rent efforts to reform the conventional agricultural system.
highlights she points to are – She points out the way that, in an effort to avoid controversy
or upset the status quo, alternative ideals such as social
• the growth of organic farming
justice may be watered down or slighted within traditional
• the popularity of farmers’ markets
institutions such as academia or extension programs. Allen
• the increase in community supported agriculture
warns that some of the problems of the dominant agrifood
(CSA), in which consumers invest in a farm for a share
system are being repeated within the movement toward a
of its bounty
more environmentally sound and socially just system, and
• the vitality of urban agriculture and community
suggests ways to avoid such repetition. She also critiques the
garden programs
drive toward food-system localization as a strategy for the
• the proliferation of university research programs
sustainable agrifood system movement, noting for instance
focused on sustainable food systems
the enormous differences in wealth and resources from one
• the introduction of farm-to-school programs that
community to another.
supply schools with fresh fruits and vegetables
Allen is particularly concerned by what she sees as two
As “alternative food movements” have gained momen- major problems in the movement to develop a more sus-
tum, they have helped transform institutions from the U.S. tainable agriculture and food system: the lack of a coherent
Department of Agriculture to the University of California, vision, and the paucity of attention being paid to social
argues Allen. She notes that, “Universities across the country justice issues.
have sustainable agriculture programs, and the USDA has Although “socially just” is now included in most
programs that were unheard of 20 years ago.” definitions of sustainable agriculture, along with “environ-
In her book, Allen examines the shortcomings of the mentally sound” and “economically viable,” Allen believes
current conventional agriculture system, and the ways that such issues as living wages, gender inequities, and land tenure
alternative agrifood movements are addressing problems are still receiving short shrift. Until such issues are seriously
such as environmental degradation and lack of food secu- addressed, she argues, a truly sustainable agriculture will
rity. She analyzes the interactions of alternative movements continue to elude us.
with mainstream institutions such as the USDA and land- Lack of a coherent message is also a handicap. “One of
grant agricultural research system, describing the way their the major things I try to do in this book is to focus on the
research agendas and methods are beginning to change. She way people are thinking about and portraying issues in the
addresses the importance of building broad-based alliances sustainable agrifood movement. When you have a social
for developing alternative agrifood systems, and some of the movement that doesn’t have a lot of access to traditional
emerging connections between groups working for environ- power or resources, your main tool is your ability to frame
mental change and those concerned with social issues. an issue and convince people of its importance. I feel like the
> continues on next page
THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004 9
sustainable food movement has not yet done a good enough Research
job of that,” said Allen. Updates
Within the movement itself, people are doing all kinds
of activities—from running community gardens, promot-
ing locally grown foods, and supporting family farmers, to
creating food security councils. According to Allen, “Most
people working in these areas recognize that they’re working
on a small part of a much bigger issue. For the movement to
become strong and vigorous, there needs to be a coherent,
well-articulated platform that bring people together, even
thought they’re doing different projects. They need to be Impact of Aphids on Organic Broccoli
meeting the needs of a wide range of people so that people
Production Examined
can feel that this movement is for and about them.”
Allen addresses this point in the book’s closing chapter, The cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) is the primary
“Working Toward Sustainability and Sustenance,” where pest of broccoli in Monterey County. Aphids’ ability to
she writes – contaminate a broccoli head has sometimes led to zero-toler-
“An articulated vision of a sustainable and food secure ance spray thresholds in conventional broccoli production
society would help engage and unite diverse constituents for (meaning that growers will spray at the first sign of an aphid
an alternative agrifood movement. This is crucial because infestation on a developing broccoli head), thereby causing
one of the fundamental requirements of a social movement ecological harm.
is a problem statement and a way of expressing that prob- Minimizing or eliminating sprays for aphids requires
lem—a clear discourse.” knowing more about how they affect broccoli production,
With a clear message in place, Allen sees the potential for and how alternative controls such as natural enemies can
the alternative agrifood movement to catalyze even larger affect aphid populations. Diego Nieto, a researcher with the
movements for social and environmental justice—move- Center, spent two field seasons examining aphid dynamics
ments in which everyone can play a role. in an organic broccoli system to determine the way that
“Participation in the movements need not mean becom- factors such as the time of the cropping season when aphids
ing a full-time activist, researcher, or producer. People can arrived, the location of the aphid colony on the plant, and
participate effectively as consumers by changing their own the abundance of natural enemies influenced the broccoli
perceptions and practices . . . Participation in everyday forms harvest. The study is part of Nieto’s masters’ degree research
of resistance, like choosing foods grown without pesticides, at San Jose State University.
may seem small in comparison to the enormity of the prob- Nieto found that cabbage aphids predominantly colonized
lem, but they can have significant effects.” the outer leaves of a broccoli plant. These colonies, however,
Together at the Table is part celebration, part cautionary did not significantly influence broccoli harvest. In each of the
tale, and in the end, a call to action for people working in study’s two field seasons, only aphids located at the center
the alternative agrifood arena to come together and create a of the plant were correlated with head infestation, making
democratic social movement with a well-articulated message. the head unmarketable. Aphid arrival time into a field was
“At this point,” writes Allen, “the contemporary American strongly correlated with eventual harvest, with early arriving
food and agriculture system sustains neither humans nor the aphids being less likely to infest a head. This was in part due
environment. Agricultural policy and administrative agencies to higher numbers of natural enemies, particularly the larvae
in their current forms are unlikely to develop effective solu- of syrphid wasps (Syrphidae), which developed in response
tions to problems of poverty, poor health, and environmental to the presence of aphids early in the season.
degradation.” The alternative agrifood movement has made Because natural enemies such as they syrphid wasp were
great strides toward addressing these problems, but must go able to control aphids arriving early in the season and had a
further to create a truly sustainable system. positive effect on the harvest, Nieto recommends that future
Together at the Table is geared toward those teaching research on alternative controls for aphids focus on man-
about agriculture and food system issues, as well as policy agement practices that encourage the early establishment of
makers, activists, and others interested in the transforma- natural enemies. Such practices might include the use of non-
tion of the U.S. agriculture and food system. The 260-page, crop vegetation, such as insectary plantings, which might
hardback book is available for $45.00 from Penn State provide natural enemies with a secondary aphid species as
University Press (www.psupress.org), Amazon (www.ama- a food source before cabbage aphids are established in a
zon.com), and other on-line booksellers. Review copies for broccoli field. Alternately, the pollen and nectar resources
course adoption can be ordered at a discount; see www. provided by such micro-habitats might also attract beneficial
psupress.org/ordering/order_exams.html for information insects before a crop has become colonized by aphids.
on ordering examination copies. Nieto also notes that it would be advantageous to inte-
– Martha Brown, Jennifer McNulty grate spray policies in conventionally managed systems that

10 THE CULTIVAR | FALL/WINTER 2004