The Socio-Economic Benefits of Organic Farming: An Interview with Glorious Organics’ Susan Davidson
Kyla Velonic, External Affairs
March 5, 2020
Organic farming brings socio-economic benefits that should be more recognized by the public. From an environmental perspective, organic farming triumphs over conventional agriculture by its smaller carbon footprint, conservation of healthy, strong soil, and contribution to nearby residents’ health by providing foods grown without harmful chemicals. By contrast, conventional farming practices increase environmental instability by using harmful chemicals such as toxic pesticides - namely chlorpyrifos, trichlorfon, dimethoate. Many conventional farmers use these pesticides to rid of pests that eat their crops, thus increasing financial profits by decreasing the number of crops lost per harvesting season. Unfortunately, these toxic pesticides are linked to increased risks of cancer, stillbirths, and infertility. Though conventional agriculture is more economically feasible due to its lower fiscal prices, populations across the globe are now being encouraged to support local organic farms to ensure their survival during times of economic crises. Organic farms are an environmentally-cleaner alternative to conventional agriculture and strengthen its region’s economy by ensuring profits stay within the area rather than in the pockets of large international corporations. To further investigate the socio-economic benefits of organic farming, The Observer’s External Affairs Branch brings you an interview with Susan Davidson, one of the Representatives of Operations at Glorious Organics: an organically certified farm dedicated to providing locally-grown food to consumers. Davidson has been an employee of Glorious Organics since 1986, providing extensive credibility for her arguments about the importance of supporting local organic farmers. Using her extensive knowledge about organic farming, Davidson offers insightful perspectives on the socio-economic benefits of shopping at local farms compared to large retailers.
How does a local organic farm operate?
Glorious Organics is one of the first certified organic farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley region. The company’s leadership team involves five Operations Representatives, including myself, that oversee Glorious Organics’ production, distribution, and maintenance of its organic certification requirements. To successfully operate an organic farm, it must have a healthy relationship with its employees, surrounding farms, and the territory’s Indigenous Peoples. For instance, Glorious Organics’ production resides in twenty acres of uncharted Kwantlen First Nations land. Farming is a collaborative business that requires employees to love their work and be able to handle multiple tasks at once. For an organic farm to be successful, its employees must value and enjoy their work to ensure the daily laborious work does not falter.
How does organic farming promote long-term environmental sustainability?
Organic farming promotes long-term environmental sustainability due to its plethora of certification requirements that a third party verifies for compliance. Some of these requirements include the prohibition of harmful substances such as hydrogen peroxide, bleach, and the use of glyphosate. Organic farms are prohibited from using these cleaning agents due to their adverse effects on human beings such as vomiting and cancer. In general, the main focus for organic farms to ensure that their crops are grown locally and without pesticides, which have been proven to cause harmful side-effects to the human body such as rashes, blindness, and diarrhea. To ensure organic farms follow these regulations, they receive annual inspections from third-party farmers to guarantee compliance. If a farm is discovered to be weak in a particular area such as not using row covers to protect crops, a farm will receive an “Opportunities For Improvement” letter. In this circumstance, organic farming's collaborative aspect comes into effect, and nearby farmers help the suffering farm create ideas for improvement or required lend tools and resources. However, in the process of being environmentally sustainable, there are trade-offs to also be economically competitive. A notable concern for environmentalists and organic farmers is the use of fossil fuels and their impact on the climate. Organic farmers have been criticized for contributing to this issue via using flamethrowers mounted on their tractors that are powered by propane fossil fuel, to kill and ward off pests attacking their crops. The trade-off in this instance is that organic farmers do not use chemical pesticides that harm people, but contribute to a portion of the environmental damage fossil fuels create. However, farmers try to minimize these effects by limiting their usage of flame eaters. Overall, organic farming is undeniably more environmentally sustainable than conventional agriculture, but it is financially impracticable to operate entirely eco-friendly in modern times.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic economically affected local organic farms and what are the benefits of supporting organic farming?
COVID-19 has brought new sets of challenges and opportunities for local organic farms. In particular, there has been an increased awareness for one’s internal health and the benefits of eating within a 100-mile radius of one’s home. This notion has positively affected small organic farms despite Glorious Organics facing a few months of hardship during the pandemic’s initial months. Heading into the summertime, mass numbers of customers began to swarm the farm to seek local produce. This increased foot traffic has resulted in organic farms such as Glorious Organics building personal relationships with consumers by taking the time to educate people about the socio-economic benefits of eating locally. For instance, the increase in people’s spiritual values about produce results in a positive social impact where individuals create a larger support base for organic farms through word-of-mouth. This social impact leads to an economic impact. Increased awareness from satisfied consumers results in frequent returned visits accompanied by larger groups. These individuals become accustomed to the healthy lifestyle, growing Glorious Organics’ profits and, consequently, the local economy. Amid the pandemic, Glorious Organics has seen an increase in consumers’ desire to grow their own food and purchase vegetable and fruit starter packs. However, due to social distance safety precautions, multiple restaurants associated with Glorious Organics have either temporarily or permanently closed. These closures have resulted in Glorious Organics’ significant financial losses in restaurant contract sales for their produce. However, the increased foot traffic profits help reverse this loss and are ensuring Glorious Organics’ sustainability. In general, organic farms have witnessed a trend where people re-evaluate what is important to them during crises by increasing their expectations regarding product quality. Shopping at local farms thus positively affects their regional economy. Overall, consumers are beginning to maintain high expectations regarding their food quality by committing to local organic farms. As a result, people should expect increased economic stability regarding their region’s economy and overall physical health.
Why is it essential to support local organic farms?
It is critical to support local organic farms, especially in times of crisis, simply because we are worthy. Unfortunately, farmers are not properly valued and appreciated in Western societies, though they are an essential service that contributes to people’s physical health and well-being. Farmers are hard workers who commit to this laborious lifestyle due to their passion for healthy living, not for economic reasons. If farmers did not appreciate the land, food and people they fed, the $15 an hour wage would not be worth it. Though Glorious Organics has experienced an economic surplus throughout the pandemic, it is difficult to convert people unwilling to pay for organic foods on the socio-economic benefits of purchasing produce from organic farms. While I do realize that low-income households and people on strict budgets may not be able to afford local organic produce, I encourage those financially able to support farms such as Glorious Organics. Overall, I appreciate the support from my local community in the Fraser Valley and I encourage people to educate themselves on healthy and sustainable living to invest in their future selves.
Interviewing Susan Davidson has underscored the importance of supporting local organic farms for both financial and personal reasons. She has insightfully diverted the attention away from focusing on cheap produce to environmentally sustainable fruits and vegetables, supporting regional economies, and maintaining overall bodily health. Hopefully, Davidson’s words will further encourage readers to support their local organic farms.