Shoppers who are attracted to organic fruit and vegetables
but put off by their often steep prices may soon have a less expensive
alternative in sustainable produce.
That's the hope of environmentalists, farmers and public officials
who want produce grown according to sustainable agricultural standards
to be certified, labeled and marketed as such.
Certified growers of sustainable produce would have to meet
requirements regarding soil management, water quality, wildlife
protection and labor practices, as well as pesticide use.
Supporters say such produce would be more affordable than organic fruits and vegetables.
Cheryl Brickey, executive director of Protected Harvest, a
Maryland-based nonprofit that certifies produce as being grown
according to sustainable practices, said too many Americans cannot
afford to pay for organic produce.
"We're trying to break that barrier," she said.
Protected Harvest's certification program does not prohibit farmers
from using synthetic pesticides -- one of the most notable differences
between it and organic certification.
Farmers are scored on their pesticide practices and are asked to do
detailed research before applying chemicals. Less is better, but other
factors are considered, said Bruce Rominger, a tomato farmer outside
Sacramento.
"If you can't use chemical herbicide, you have to kill those weeds
some other way," he said. "One way is to go out with a tractor and cut
them out, but that costs you money, too, and you're burning diesel and
you're stirring up the ground and could be causing erosion."
Protected Harvest mandates conservation practices, such as leaving
buffer zones around trees and waterways to protect wildlife, and
requires farmers to train workers in certain practices.
But the group faces opposition from a well-established organic industry that does not welcome the competition.
"These new eco-label and verification schemes tend to really just
muddy the waters with questions," said Jake Lewin, marketing director
at California Certified Organic Farmers, an organic certification and
trade group. "It's not clear to consumers, 'What is this product and
why should you want it?'"
This summer, Protected Harvest received about $500,000 in grants
from state and federal agencies to help develop the labeling system for
a sustainable tomato billed as the 'Sacratomato.'
The group also has plans to certify sustainable strawberry, plum and
nectarine farms. Seven vineyards already have the Protected Harvest
certification.
The programs are being modeled after the "Healthy Grown" potato in Wisconsin that is certified by Protected Harvest.
Rominger, the tomato farmer, will be one of the first to grow the
Sacratomato, which will initially be marketed to processing plants.
Rominger said he does not want his tomatoes to be niche products. He
thinks the benefit of sustainable certification is that the label is
designed to be practical and profitable for large operations.
Protected Harvest says it is too soon to know what the Protected
Harvest California produce will cost. But farmers such as Rominger say
their commitment to the project is about more than profit.
"I want somebody else to be able do this on this land 100 years from now," he said.
Source: Associated Press
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