Home News & Events Alternative Agriculture News -- June '97

Headlines:
Ecosystems Provide "Services" Worth $33 Trillion
Push to Label Genetically Engineered Food is Growing
Mite-Eating Mite Save Cassava Crop in Africa
Is Organic Food More Nutritious?
EQIP Final Rule Reflects Public Comments on Herd Size
Five New Members Named to Organic Standards Board
Resources
Positions
Upcoming Events

©1997, Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, 9200 Edmonston Road, #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770. Phone: (301) 441-8777. E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net.

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In addition to this monthly newsletter, the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture publishes the American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of research on alternative agriculture. It is a scientific forum for disseminating technical, economic, and social research findings about the character and requirements of alternative agriculture systems.

The current issue (Volume 11, No. 4) includes articles on a first study of managing vertebrates in cover crops, the links between pesticide use and pesticide residues, and production-side progress and demand-side constraints in sustainable agriculture in the Corn Belt. It also features abstracts from the conference on "Environmental Enhancement Through Agriculture," sponsored by the Wallace Institute, Tufts University, and American Farmland Trust in November, 1995, are also in the new issue of the Wallace Institute's quarterly peer-reviewed journal of research on alternative agriculture.

Subscriptions to AJAA are $44 for libraries; $24 for individuals; and $12 for students.

Ecosystems Provide "Services" Worth $33 Trillion

The "services" of the earth's ecosystems "represent part of the total economic value of the planet," and are valued at $33 trillion per year, according to an article by 13 ecologists, economists, and geographers in Nature (May 15, 1997).

"Because ecosystem services are not fully 'captured' in commercial markets or adequately quantified in terms comparable with economic services and manufactured capital, they are often given too little weight in policy decisions," the authors wrote. "This neglect may ultimately compromise the sustainability of humans in the biosphere. The economies of the Earth would grind to a halt without the services of ecological life-support systems, so in one sense their total value to the economy is infinite."

Among the 17 services provided by ecosystems are nutrient cycling, including:

• "nitrogen fixation, N, P, and other elemental or nutrient cycles" (valued at $17 trillion).
• erosion control and sediment retention, including "prevention of loss of soil by wind, runoff, or other removal processes, and storage of silt in lakes and wetlands."
• soil formation, including "weathering of rock and the accumulation of organic material."
• pollination, including "provisioning of pollinators for the reproduction of plant populations."
• biological control, including "keystone predator control of prey species."
• genetic resources, including "medicine; products for materials science; genes for resistance to plant pathogens and crop pests; pets; ornamental species; and horticultural varieties of plants."

According to an article about the study in The New York Times (May 20, 1997), "nature performs a long list of other economic services as well. Flood control, soil formation, pollination, food and timber production, provision of the raw material for new medicines, recreational opportunities, and the maintenance of a favorable climate are among them."

One way to put a value on such services, according to Newsweek (May 26, 1997), "is to figure out what it would cost to substitute technological fixes for what nature does. Substituting chemical fertilizer for natural nitrogen fixation, for instance, would cost at least $33 billion a year. Growing crops without soil by substituting the hydroponic systems beloved of urban gardeners would cost $2 million per acre in the United States."

Push to Label Genetically Engineered Food is Growing

A "small but growing movement of people" is pushing for food labels that indicate what genetically engineered ingredients the food includes, according to The New York Times (May 21, 1997).

Because the federal government does not require such labels, most Americans have no idea which foods are genetically engineered, or "transgenic." A recent survey found that 93 percent of respondents agreed that food labeling is needed, and "small groups of consumer advocates are raising health and environmental concerns about genetically engineered products," according to the article.

"There are signs that the consumer movement is gaining momentum. Nebraska and Maine are considering legislation for labeling. Mothers for Natural Law, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, has begun a public awareness campaign....Critics have raised concerns about potential environmental problems, like the unintentional creation of weeds resistant to some herbicides and pests resistant to certain pesticides."

There is also concern among organic farmers and processors, consumer advocates, and some scientists that the USDA "will override the recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board, which voted to prohibit genetically engineered foods from being labeled organic."

Mite-Eating Mite Save Cassava Crop in Africa

Predator mites are being credited with saving African farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost cassava crops, according to articles in The Wall Street Journal (May 16, 1997) and The Washington Post (May 19, 1997).

The cassava is a tuber that serves as a dietary staple for a half-billion people, including 200 million Africans. "The predators attack green mites, which seriously damage cassava plants, especially during dry spells, when the root crops are the only thing standing between peasants and hunger," wrote The Wall Street Journal. "Researchers estimate the predator mites, especially one known as T. aripo, have saved farmers in West Africa alone as much as $60 million a season, allowing them to produce more cassava for their families, sell more surplus roots for cash, and spend less time in the cassava fields and more on other income-generating activities."

The predator mites first checked and then reversed the damage caused by the green mite. "What actually happened was a rare collaboration between scientists on two continents to stem the destruction of cassava," wrote The Washington Post. "Their apparent success...was hailed as a victory against world hunger and a milestone in the search for chemical-free solutions to agricultural pests." The Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture worked with the Columbia-based International Center for Tropical Agricultural "in search for natural enemies of the green mite in its native turf in Latin America," according to The Post.

Scientists found that not only can the T.aripo mite devour a green mite in minutes, it can also travel a mile or more on the wind. The first colonies of the predators introduced in Africa spread over a radius of seven miles the first year; this year, after dozens of introductions in several countries, the predators have advanced over a 150,000 square-mile area that encompasses 11 countries.

"For scientists, it was the most ambitious and most successful attempt to control a pest mite on a continent-wide scale using what [entomologist Steve] Yannick calls 'a classic biological approach,'" wrote The Post. "The key, he said, was using 'nature's own equilibrium' to human advantage. 'It's easier and less energy-consuming if we work with nature and not against it.'"

Is Organic Food More Nutritious?

"Is organic food more nutritious?" wrote Joan Dye Gussow in the first part of a two-part series on organic food in Eating Well (May/June, 1997). "I've been asked -- and been asking -- that question for 30 years."

While the idea that organic food is more nutritious is "long on history," she wrote, "it's short on evidence....There's plenty of anecdotal evidence, but little hard proof that organically grown produce is reliably more nutritious. But being healthful is different than being more nutritious. After poring over the cumulative evidence from 70 years' worth of studies, the sum total strongly suggests that food grown according to organic principles is likely to have a variety of qualities that should, over the long term, make it more healthful.

"For example, organic foods usually have few, if any, chemical residues, and lower levels of nitrate nitrogen. These facts in and of themselves, while not a statement about nutritional values, make organic foods healthier."

The introduction to the series states that "what began as a grass-roots farming movement is now a $2.8 billion-a-year industry. And the long-held assumptions about organic food -- combined with the growing emphasis on health in this country -- has rendered it an industry with seemingly endless potential, already growing by more than 20 percent a year."

EQIP Final Rule Reflects Public Comments on Herd Size

The USDA last month announced the final rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), including a limit on the size of livestock operations eligible for assistance from the new program.

The rule prohibits assistance to large confined livestock operations, which the rule defines as having more than 1,000 animal units. Analysis of public comments on the proposed rule done by the Wallace Institute for the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture found that a clear majority supported setting national herd size limits for EQIP.

"The final rule in part reflects public comments received by USDA," said Kathleen Merrigan, Senior Analyst at the Wallace Institute who did the analysis of public comments. "The Wallace Institute will continue to monitor the USDA's adherence to public input to assure that the public's voices are heard."

Although the final rule set a herd size limit, it also provided a procedure for the waiving of the national ceiling, according to the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. "I hope that the waiver provision does not become a backdoor way for large corporate operations to siphon off EQIP funds," said Loni Kemp, new co-chair of the Campaign. "If waivers become routine, the national ceiling will become meaningless. A national limit is the only way to insure the program works as intended -- to help small and moderate-sized family farmers solve environmental problems on their farm."

Five New Members Named to Organic Standards Board

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman has named five new members to the National Organic Standards Board:

• Marvin L. Hollen, Nyssa, OR (farmer/grower)
• Steven J. Harper, Bellingham, WA (handler/processor)
• Carolyn W. Brickey, Tucson, AZ (consumer/public interest)
• William P. Welsh, Lansing, IA (environmentalist)
• Eric J. Sideman, Greene, ME (scientist).

Kathleen Merrigan, Senior Analyst at the Wallace Institute, is also a member of the Board. The 15-member National Organic Standards Board advises the Secretary of Agriculture on implementation of a certification program for producers and handlers of agricultural products that have been produced using organic methods. The USDA is developing a proposed rule for implementing a consistent national standard for organic production and processing, and for accreditation of certifying agents.

Resources

• "Cultivating a Better Future: Sustainable Agriculture in Montana" is $7 from Alternative Energy Resources Organization, 25 S. Ewing, #214, Helena, MT 59601; (406) 443-7272.
• "Building a Sustainable Future," the proceedings from the 4th North American Agroforestry Conference, are $35 plus $5 for postage from John H. Ehrenrich, Editor, College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-1135; (208) 885-7600; e-mail johne@novell.uidaho.edu.
• "Consolidating the Commodity Chain: Organic Farming and Agribusiness in Northern California," published by the Institute for Food and Development Policy, is $6 plus $3 shipping/handling from Subterranean Co., Box 160, 265 S. 5th St., Monroe, OR 97456; 1-800-274-7826.
• "1997 Directory of Flower & Herb Buyers" is $7.50 from Prairie Oak Seeds, P.O. Box 382, Maryville, MO 64468-0382; (816) 562-3743.
• "1997 National Organic Directory" is $44.95 plus $6 shipping/handling from Community Alliance with Family Farmers, P.O. Box 363, Davis, CA 95617; 1-800-852-3832.
• "Directory of Water and Wildland Expertise," listing experts at the University of California campuses, is on the World Wide Web at http://www2.nceas.ucsb.edu:8502/exp/db/intro; contact Centers for Water and Wildland Resources, (916) 752-8070.
• News from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/news/

Positions

• Ohio State University seeks a Full Professor for the first Endowed Chair of Agricultural Ecosystems Management at its Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center; send letter, resume, and five references to Dr. L. R. Nault, Chair, Search Advisory Team, Associate Director, OARDC/The Ohio State University, 1689 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691.
• Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural Economics, seeks an Assistant Professor of Food and Agribusiness Management; send application to Dr. Larry G. Hamm, Chairperson, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1039; (517) 355-4567.
• Mount Air Farm seeks resident couple to manage small diversified organic farm and retail store; applicants must have college degrees in animal science; send resumes to William Keller, 4503 Mount Air Farm, Crozet, VA 22932; (804) 823-4242.

Upcoming Events

For additional listings, see the Sustainable Agriculture Network's Calendar of Events

• June 27-29, Second Decentralist Conference will be held in Williamstown, MA; contact E.F. Schumacher Society, 140 Jug End Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230; (413) 528-1737.
• July 4-6, "Teaching Sustainable Agriculture to Students, Apprentices and Farm Workers," Part One: Teacher Training Workshop, will be held at NewFarms, HC 69 Box 62, Rociada, N.M. 87742; (505) 425-5457.
• July 7-26, a Summer Series in "Development, Economics and the Environment" will be held in Berkeley, CA; contact Amanda Hickman, Center for Sustainable Resource Development, University of California, Berkeley, 112 Giannini Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720- 3100; (510) 643-1655; e-mail csrd.summer.series@nature.berkeley.edu
• July 22-25, 52nd Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference will be held in Ontario, Canada; contact Jennifer Pemble, 1-800-THE-SOIL, ext. 18; e-mail jenp@swcs.org.
• July 25-26, "Global Challenges in Ecosystem Management In a Watershed Context" will be held in conjunction with the Annual Conference of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in Toronto, Canada; contact Jennifer Pemble, 1-800-THE-SOIL, ext. 18; e-mail jenp@swcs.org.
• July 28-29, "Prairie Pastures: Native Plants and Wildlife for Rotational Grazing Systems" will be held in Howard County, IA; contact Laura Jackson, Department of Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA; 50614; (319) 273-2705; e-mail jacksonl@uni.edu.
• July 30-31, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's 10th Anniversary Conference will be held in Ames, IA; contact Rich Pirog, Leopold Center, 209 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011; (515) 294-3711; e-mail leopold@exnet.iastate.edu.

Home News & Events Alternative Agriculture News -- June '97