Eating Your Way to Sustainability Sustainable Agriculture 101

1. People – creative force behind global solutions Eating Your Way to SustainabilitySustainable Agriculture 101 David Granatstein Sustainable Agriculture Specialist WSU CSANR, Wenatchee, WA USA

2. Outline • Definitions • Problem statement • Solutions

3. Sustainability • “Meet the needs of today without reducing ability of future generations to meet their needs” • Try to balance: • Economic • Environment • Social • Better to say “more sustainable” • Easier to define what is not sustainable • And now energy – what will sustainability mean in a post-petrol world? Can agriculture be sustainable if the rest of society is not?

4. Sustainable Agriculture“A long-term goal” Economically Viable Environmentally Sound A direction to move in Not a fixed set of farming practices “A question, not an answer” Socially Acceptable

5. Sustainability is Relative Pest management successes – IPM, biocontrol, reduced risk products Apple - Cydia pomonella control – change over time Lead arsenate DDT Azinphos-methyl Pheromone mating disruption Codling moth granulosis virus ?? Conventional then Conventional now

6. Sustainability Issues - Environmental - Pesticides Soil erosion Water quality, quantity Energy Atmosphere (e.g. methyl bromide, GHGs) Biodiversity, habitat Loss of farmland, urbanization Degraded water quality

7. Sustainability Issues Soil Degradation Soil erosion on the Palouse hills

8. Sustainability Issues- Economic - WA Fuji apples, 1995-2002 Price > breakeven in 4 of 8 years (S. Smith)

9. Sustainability Issues- Social - Family farms Farm workers Rural communities Human health Food security Fair trade Next generation of farmers

10. Redesigning Farming Albert Smith farm, southeast Minnesota

11. Practice Changes that Increase Sustainability Drip irrigation Direct seeding for soil conservation Alternatives to agricultural burning Methane digester for animal manure Precision N application Biodiesel for farm equipment Habitat plantings N fixing cover crops Replace toxic pesticides with biocontrols Worker training, housing, health insurance

12. Direct Seeding • Saves soil, water, $ • Reduces fuel, labor, CO2, expenses • Increases yields, biodiversity, SOM • Market opportunities Shepherd’s Grain “Solutions that Create More Solutions, not More Problems”

13. Codling moth pheromone MD use in Washington apple and pear orchards Total acres treated with pheromone products 120000 60% of acres 100000 CAMP Project 80000 60000 40000 20000 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 Source: J. Brunner

14. Cover Crops • Add organic matter; improve soil structure and reduce compaction • Reduce nutrient losses; conserve nitrogen • UC Davis study: • Cover crop – increased summer infiltration 2x, decreased winter runoff >10x • Conventional plots lost 10x more applied N than low input, 5x more than organic (Courtesy: L. Huyck)

15. Food and Health Nutrient Dilution(D.R. Davis, 2004) From 1950-99, 43 foods showed significant declines in 6 nutrients (protein, Ca, P, Fe, riboflavin, Vit. C) Likely due to cultivar change; is there a trade-off between yield and nutrient content? USDA calcium data – broccoli•1950 – 13 mg/g DW•2003 – 4.5 mg/g DWNutraceuticals• More anti-oxidants in organic strawberries • Cancer cell suppression by fruit extracts

16. Product Identity - Labels

17. Future Sustainability • Likely trends: • Mechanization to reduce labor • Nutritional / nutraceutical content • Greater importance of ‘local’ • Blurring of lines – conventional vs. organic – more integration of good ideas • Is IFP or Organic more sustainable? • Ultimate impact = sustainability gain x area (e.g. 100% IFP in New Zealand apple, 50% pesticide reduction; 5% organic apple in WA) Mechanical cherry harvest

18. What You Can Do Get educated (don’t rely on one source) Look for improvement, not perfection Buy more direct (CSA, farmers market, share a beef) Request products at stores (e.g. rBST free milk) Eat more seasonally, less processed, less packaged Support research on sustainable systems (e.g. BIOAg, intensive grazing) Follow policy, contact legislators (e.g. CSP, farm to schools)

19. Conclusion Sustainability – a journey, not a destination Can verify improvements in sustainability and market them with ecolabels What looks sustainable today may not be tomorrow – the world changes Small steps by many people makea difference

20. Untangling the Maze of Sustainable Food Choices: Eco-labels, regional labels, brand labels, local or organic? Bioneers Conference Spokane, WA, Oct. 19, 2007 Marcy Ostrom, WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources

21. Untangling the Maze of Sustainable Food Choices • What we know about Consumer Preferences • Washington Consumer Studies • Consumer views on organics, environment, and local • Purchasing Behaviors • Consumers to Informed Food Citizens—Action Opportunities • What you can do • What communities can do • Policy changes needed

22. What we Know about WA Consumer Preferences

23. What motivates people to buy organic? Hartman Group, 1999

24. What Motivates Consumers to Purchase Locally? Do you think that Washington consumers could make a difference in the survival of local farms by buying more local products? WOULD MAKE DIFFERENCE WOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE DK / NA 68% Felt They Could Make a Difference in the Survival of Local Farms

25. If locally grown foods were available, how much extra would you pay?

26. Interested in more direct purchases of: Vegetables 82% Fruits 81% Eggs 52% Dairy 44% Beef 36% Poultry 34%

27. MOST SOME FEW NONE DK/NA 4 in 10 Say they Already Buy Mostly Washington Products About how many products did you buy that were produced in Washington state?

28. WA Studies Show Strong Appreciation for Benefits of Local Agriculture • Consumers and farmers both interested in new market relationships • Feel local products are healthier and tastier • Value farmers as environmental stewards • See profitable family farms as imp. to local economy • Say they will pay more • What are the obstacles? • Lack of consumer knowledge of food system • Convenience: not in places people normally shop • Lack of supply, processing, distribution, access

29. What you can do • Build a direct relationship with a farmer • Farmers Markets • CSA • Roadside Stands, Stores, U-pick • Support businesses who source products from sustainable, local farmers • Restaurants, caterers, hotels, B&Bs, etc. • Food Cooperatives • Health food and grocery stores • Read and understand labels • Build community and policy solutions

30. Direct Sales: Find a Farmer

31. Ecological (eco-label) Organic Food Alliance Salmon Safe, Dolphin Safe Social Fair Trade, Family Farm Health Grass-fed, hormone-free Geographical Farm Identity/Logo/Branding Combinations (none sufficient) Reading the Labels

32. Indicators ++ + 0 - - - Ecosystem x Soil (erosion, OM) x Ground and Surface Water (leaching) x Climate and Air x Farm Input and Output (nutrient, water, energy use) x Animal Welfare and Health x Quality of Produced Food x How sustainable is organic? Findings from Europe Legend: ORG compared to CONV: ++ much better, + better, 0 same, - worse, -- much worse Stolze et al, 2000: The Environmental Impacts of Farming in Europe

33. Looking behind the Organic Label:Horizon and Organic Valley Milk

34. Fair Trade • Social, Environmental, and Economic Standards • 569 Certified Producer Organizations Worldwide • 1.4 million farmers and workers (small farmers) • 57 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America • Sold over 1.6 billion in Certified Products (2006) • 42 % more than the year before. • Large buyers entering market--pressure for volume • Fewer on-site inspections • Value of price premium for farmers declining • Cooperative management structures challenging • Unavailable to farmers in developed countries

35. What does local mean? • Strong Interest from Consumers • How local is local? Meaning is contested. • Food Miles • Not necessarily a reliable indicator of environmental impacts • Need more concrete research on energy usage in the food system • Careful of assumptions • Carries educational value • Life Cycle Analys more comprehensive • mostly industrial applications so far

36. Place-based Labels • Heart of Washington • Puget Sound Fresh • Skagit’s Own • Whatcom Grown

37. Farm Branding

38. Look for Traceability • Can you determine where the product was grown and by whom? • Can you find out how it was grown (production, labor, processing,etc.)? • Is there a farm “there”? A farmer? • Tekei—food with a farmer’s face on it

39. Community Food Assessments Food policy councils Market infrastructure Ag. Commissions Farm-City Forums Buy local campaigns Request local foods at restaurants/conferences Community Harvest Celebrations, farm tours and maps Schools and institutions What Communities Can Do

40. October Harvest Celebrations

41. Discussion Points • Significant activity and interest in alternative market relationships from growers and consumers • Moving beyond a niche? • Health, quality, local/family farm are big selling points • Only partial solutions • Lack distribution, processing, retail infrastructure • Important sectors left out: meat, wheat, lentils, apples • Not all farmers want to be marketers • Community education is possible • Policy work needed: local, state, and national

42. Eating Your Way to Sustainability:The Views and Needs of Producers Dr. Lynne Carpenter-Boggs BIOAg Coordinator WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources

43. Sustainable Agriculture Social Economic Environmental WSU BIOAg Program A new program of WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR)

44. Organic Sustainable Biologically- Intensive BIOAg BIOAg = Organic and/or bio-intensive, if it’s sustainable. • Organic agriculture: A legally defined and regulated practice that focuses on use of natural materials & non-use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, etc. • Biologically Intensive: using renewable biological materials & processes. • Sustainable: Producing high quantity and quality food & fiber with long-term economic, environmental, & social viability.

45. Sustainability from the producers’ perspectives • Environmental: • Equal or better environmental protection • Worker protection / reduced exposure

46. Beauty in the rural landscape • Wildlife watching and hunting • Farmer / rural health concerns

47. Sustainability from the producers’ perspectives • Economic: • Equal or greater profit • Direct marketing to consumers • Reducing inputs or input costs • Price premiums for sustainably grown products

48. Shepherd’s Grain • The goal of Shepherd’s Grain is to take the commitment that our producers have towards sustainable production practices and provide you a product to carry that commitment on to the consumer. The relationships we have with our customers allow us to achieve our goal “because it’s the right thing to do” “All of our work to preserve our environment and increase the quality of our end product would wasted if we could not make a living while doing our job. ”

49. Shepherd’s Grain How it works: 1. PRODUCERS who want to “do the right thing” (Direct Seed farming which dramatically reduces erosion but requires expensive equipment) 2. BRANDING, collective processing and price setting for Direct Seed producers 3. CONSUMERS who contract to purchase the more sustainably grown wheat, sometimes at a slightly higher cost

50. Sustainability from the producers’ perspectives • Social: • Keeping land in the family • Keeping rural areas rural • Farming is not just a business