Comments Xav has made

  • organic versus mechanical/chemical

    nice article!

    I would insist a little more, and may invite GRIST to explore, 2 points:

    1- subsidies to chemical mechanical agriculture::
    as listed by Bart Anderson in his comment:
    if energy prices go up

    «Transportation -> skyrockets
    Pesticides and fertilizers -> much more expernsive
    Farm machinery and food processing plants -> upwards»

    Subsidies to farmers go indirectly to the oil and chemical industries. to cover their costs in fuels and poisons.
    It would be interesting to see in which proportion!!!!
    Canthey be considered as subsidies to the oil industries?

    2- quality of products (and externalities)

    When you buy organic versus chemical food,
    it is like SILK versus PLASTIC
    can you really compare the prices?

    it is true for quality, externalities. health value
    A fruit or vegetable is made of solid matter and water

    Due to agricultural techniques, chemically grown products tend to contain more water (this is one of the tricks that make crops (larger) heavier.
    So you pay less per kilos, but not necessarelly less per kilos of solid matter (the nutrients, vitamines, trace elements etc)

    the choice of species: to allow mechanical and chemical farming, and also transportation, newer sorts of plants are used, they also tend to catch more water.

    A study done by a farmer where I buy vegetables and grains, shown that the difference can be of 40% for potatoes.
    If you pay your organic, old fashion sort,  potatoes 20 %more, the quantity of nutrients you actually buy, is still less expensive since you buy less water!

    (I don't know if I am clear)

    3- and a last comment:
    unfortunately, an organicaly grown product, does not make it ecological
    that is why local organic farming for local marked is the ecological solution.

    There must be developped new solutions for distributions into cities (like urban gardens/farms) Big cities are unsustainable anyway.

    About meat, you might read:
    http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/2004/174

    sincerelly and solar greenOn Seriously, now -- why aren't organics getting affordable? posted 4 years, 3 months ago 18 Responses