Think about what you think you know about organic food for a moment:
Some people say it's more nutritious, but others say it's not. Maybe it's the right choice for wealthy developed nations, but is it practical for underdeveloped and poor countries? Isn't it more important to eat food produced locally? What's the difference between organic and natural? And why are organic foods so expensive? Doesn't the high cost of organic food make it an elitist indulgence rather than a realistic choice for the majority of working families? And we seem to hear all the time that it's not even possible to grow enough food to feed the world organically. What's the truth?
We are, as a culture, bombarded by so much information all the time, yet much of it draws conflicting conclusions and never seems to provide a definitive, clear answer to the question of why we should opt for organically grown foods rather than those grown with synthetic chemicals1. We live in a fairly constant state of confusion about most of the things that are essential to our survival, but have been conditioned to do what is easiest. We are, frankly, too busy and distracted to think too deeply about most things. Meanwhile, we eat what's available when we are hungry and try not to think too much about it because it's all so disheartening and confusing.
Well, I've thought a lot about it. Even more important, I've done the research. In the process of writing and researching this book, I found that there are clear and conclusive scientific data that support my hypothesis that organic agriculture2 is the key to our survival. The studies are buried deeply within the databases of government agencies, too complicated to be reported by the mainstream media, and subjected to downright suppression at some universities. A quick peek beneath the shiny veneer of the marketing materials of major chemical companies reveals a world where the overriding drive for growth and profits has created a culture of denial that makes victims of us all. I talked with leading scientists and doctors. I read shocking historical accounts of forgotten periods in our past. I spoke with organic farmers, business leaders, and writers. But most important, I spoke with many chemical (or “conventional”) farmers from around the country. It was their stories that made it even clearer to me that we need to change.
I am hardly the first in my family to reach the conclusion that we must embrace a return to chemical-free gardening. It's in my DNA. My grandfather, J. I. Rodale, launched Organic Farming and Gardening magazine in 1942, and with it the organic movement in America. My father, Robert, also believed in supporting local farmers and buying local foods. He had devoted his life to his father's mission of improving our health and environment through food and how it is grown. They both knew how closely food is entwined with health, and they launched Prevention magazine in 1950. To my grandfather and father, organic foods were obviously healthier for people and better for the environment. But in the mid-1960s, they still hadn't proved it to the world. In fact, many so-called experts considered them crazy, or at least highly eccentric. So they set out to prove unequivocally the wisdom of their ideas.
Before my father died in 1990, he began what is now the longest-running scientific study comparing synthetic-chemical versus organic agriculture. He established the Farming Systems Trial in 1981 at the Rodale Institute Research Center in Maxatawny, Pennsylvania. He knew that to prove the viability of organic agriculture, he needed to compile empirical evidence from a scientific setting that compares side-by-side plots of organic and chemically grown foods. He truly loved farmers and farming, and he wanted to see them make a decent, healthy, and independent living. So he bought land, hired a few scientists who were willing to put up with the ridicule of their peers, and made a commitment to keep going for as long as possible—or necessary. Over the years, the government finally did begin to help fund and support the research. Today, university researchers from around the world study our findings, and new organizations have sprung up globally to support and promote organic agriculture.
As a result of my father's and grandfather's efforts, as well as those of a few dedicated and brave scientists willing to buck the overwhelmingly synthetic-chemical-centric system that funds most agricultural research, we now have a conclusive answer to the question of why we should opt for organic farming practices. The Farming Systems Trial shows clearly that organic farming is not only more productive than chemical farming (especially during times of drought and flood), but that soil farmed organically is a key component to solving our climate crisis. But even if you don't believe there is a climate crisis, there are other reasons to embrace organic methods.
In fact, so critical is this imperative to embrace organic methods that I make this statement: If you do just one thing—make one conscious choice—that can change the world, go organic. Buy organic food. Stop using chemicals and start supporting organic farmers. No other single choice you can make to improve the health of your family and the planet will have greater positive repercussions for our future.
This book is about that one thing we can do to save ourselves (because as science has established, the planet will be just fine if we disappear). It may seem hard to believe that one change will make such a big difference, but I will show how it will have a pervasive impact on global climate change while also preserving our health. In fact, it will infiltrate and improve almost every aspect of our lives.
We still have time to heal the planet, feed the world, and keep us all safe. But we have to start right now. To implement this change, we must unite to fight the most important fight of our lives, perhaps one of the most important global struggles in the history of our species. It's a fight for survival. Because no matter what our political beliefs, our religion, our family values, our sexual preferences, our tastes in music or foods are, we are all in this together. Our fates are linked.
We are all one tribe.
This is my organic manifesto.