[Sca-cooks] OP: Organic info

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

>From the Internet Scout Report:

17. Back to the Basics: Organic Farms, CSAs and Farmers Markets
USDA Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/
Organic Europe
http://www.organic-europe.net/
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
http://www.caff.org/farms/csa.html
Organic Consumers Association
http://www.organicconsumers.org
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: Farmers Markets
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
Local Harvest
http://www.localharvest.org/

In the midst of a precipitous decline in family farms and an industrious
increase in large-scale agriculture, a back-to-basics farming movement is
growing like a well-tended garden. Whether you are a supporter of local
farmers at a farmers market, a member of a CSA farm, or you are simply
worried about pesticides, going organic or going local has found many
fans.
And, while markedly more expensive than standard produce and meat
initially,
organic options are now much more in tune with prices for the rest of the
food on the shelf. So, whether picking out a freshly plucked free-range
organic chicken, a bunch of bibb lettuce, or a plump beefsteak tomato,
organic and small farm options are plenty.

Thinking about starting your own Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
farm
cooperative? Looking to join one? Or, are you just plain confused about
what
sustainable agriculture and CSA mean? Then this first site from the USDA
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center is for you. Information on
the site includes a National database of CSAs so that you can find one
close
to you, educational information for aspiring farmers, and general articles
devoted to the topic of CSAs. The second site takes you to the other side
of
the pond and to the Organic-Europe Web site. This site includes
information
on 25 European countries. Included is all sorts of information on
conferences and their proceedings as well as country-specific reports on
organic agriculture. While some of the information is not exactly
yesterday's news, the site does give a good glimpse at what's going on in
organic farming somewhere other than the US. Produced by the Community
Alliance with Family Farmers, this Web site does a good job of defining a
CSA, discussing the benefits, and even providing the visitor with
questions
to think about when trying to pick a CSA. Also of note is an interesting
history link off of the CAFF main page, which gives a good historical look
at the role they played in legislation such as the Right to Know and
Pesticide Contamination Prevention Acts. From providers to consumers, the
next Web site --produced by the Organic Consumers Association-- states
that
its goal is "organizing organic consumers into a potent force for change."
Whether you are curious about its activities, eager to join, looking for a
local CSA or Green Business, or interested in becoming an organic
activist,
this site is for you. A bit less political, the next site is a great one
for
finding fresh produce and other goods throughout the year. Produced by the
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, the site provides farmers market
info,
a national directory of farmers markets, and information about the
upcoming
National Farmers Market Week (August 3-9). The last site, the Web presence
of Local Harvest, offers all sorts of directory information on farms and
CSAs, farmers markets, restaurants, and cooperatives nationwide. Through
its
"nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local
food
sources," Local Harvest provides a great on-line catalog of information.
[JPM]

-- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika   jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
"Freedom is expensive, dangerous, unpredictable, and sometimes ugly
and offensive. At such a high price, no wonder it is sweet."
-- John N. Barry, _Library Journal_, January 1992