Organic Truth and Tell Pt. 1 ~ Why are we making this so difficult?

In the Caribbean we once lived off of the land. Our economies have always been tied to agriculture in one way or another. Some islands have been heavily dependent on monoculture...sugar cane, banana etc. Some island economies have been financially dependent on illegal agriculture through systems which either facilitate consumer consent for praedial larceny or systems which facilitate the devaluation of plants once identified as useless or illicit.

All of that is changing.

Image: "USDA Gives Colorado Cannabis Farm First Approval to Use Organic Seal"

This image is one of the top 6 images found when we searched online for organic+Caribbean+cannabis.

Source: http://drleonardcoldwell.com/usda-gives-colorado-cannabis-farm-first-approval-to-use-organic-seal/

In the Caribbean, before we imported fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and more - we were the definition of organic.

All of that is changing.

Image: UK brand of Baby Food - This was one of the top 10 images found when we searched for Caribbean+organic.

Source: http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317--92477-Ella's+kitchen+organic+caribbean+chicken+with+mangoes+%2525252D+stage+3

Image: Turkish towel from Ottoloom. This is the first image we found when we searched for Barbados+organic

Source - https://ottoloom.co.nz/products/barbados-guest-towel-red-taupe

Now, the idea of Caribbean organic is not even ours. This is because we in the region are making the definition of "organic" produce and products more complicated than it has to be.

Meanwhile the world has been moving away from the idea that the word "organic" should even have a prescriptive definition - when we use the word to communicate about how we live and make decisions. The word organic is being used to describe any concept, understanding, movement or group of actions which springs forth naturally. Someone asks how your organization generated an idea to take some action - if it just happened "off of vibes" or the serendipity of a situation - then we might say it happened "organically".

When you hear this use of the work "organic" doesn't that sound like how everything happens in the Caribbean? Really organically. It doesn't matter how may doctrines, rules, guidelines and prescribed - "we should do things this way" conversations and plans we make - don't most of us prefer to just let things happen? "Let's see how it goes" , this is what I hear most days around here.

This can be a good attitude for us as a Caribbean region making the transition back to producing self-sufficient volumes of organic produce. We already think and act organically-ish, why can't we make this step to substantially grow food organically?

Through the Better Caribbean Program we want to simplify this transition back to Caribbean organic growing and product creation. We want to first work with any farmer, business or organic produce user that is already convinced that organic is the way to go - to amplify or refine their efforts. It might mean that we stop ourselves from even using the word organic..at least until we are all on the same page about what that means for us. It might mean that we become more comfortable and rest our confidence in being transparent. Rather than proclaiming that your product and produce is organic - we might need to invite people to show, tell and share their perspective on whether/how organic and naturally produced crops are making a difference for them. What does growing organic really mean to us?

This communication of a culturally relevant definition of organic is work that is long overdue. As we've said before, the Caribbean was the definition of organic, our soils were rich and healthy. Our indigenous plants thrived and most of the seeds that blew over from other islands or which were brought from Africa also thrived - naturally and organically.

Even the monoculture growth of sugarcane did well for a while financially for us, but this is where our ideas of organic began to get confused and how our choices in agriculture compromised our ecosystem health. Our monoculture history, overuse of fertilizers and depleting soil health may just be the reason we are seeing soil erosion, land slides and the rise in crop diseases in Barbados.

If we are seeing these problems AND we have such high and rising food import bills throughout the region AND we still have so many people struggling to feed themselves in a way which won't further overload our public health systems - what is the missing link? We certainly have a number of entities, agencies and organizations which title themselves as having a regional interest in these food security, sustainable livelihood, agriculture and health issues. We also have several local organic farming and environmental organizations in each island.

What is really happening though? Are we seeing the results of this work?

In Barbados, we are first struggling to define to the masses why growing organic is even necessary. Until this is done, then we will fail at the immediate challenge of defining what organic means in a way which makes sense to farmer and non-farmer alike. Without defining this why - then we certainly will fail at transitioning our economies away from high food import bills, high public health costs and the still intangible and unrecognized cost of the destruction of our ecosystems which is caused by growing with the use of excessive chemicals and unsustainable practices.

So about this culturally relevant definition - What exists already?

Organic literally means of living matter. If a farmer uses seeds which have been sprayed with any substances not allowed on this list which therefore has not been verified as organic - their produce is not organic. A farmer can always change their practices when they learn differently, so really anyone can become an organic farmer after making certain changes in their methods, keeping certain records for a specific time period and being completely transparent with their consumers. However the most important practice is ensuring that the source of their seeds can be validated as organic.

If a farmer applies any product which has been made with synthetic chemicals which have a demonstrated effect on our human or environmental health - then their produce is not organic. If a farmer applies only compounds derived from a living organism or certain naturally occurring minerals/compounds derived directly from the earth (e.g. certain salts) - their produce is organic. Manure, bacteria and compost tea all have living components.

List of Permitted Substances Used to Define Organic

Here's a list of "permitted substances for the production of organic food" created by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization - UN). There are issues when it comes to the creation and labeling of organic value added products, because there are items on this list which have been since identified as carcinogenic.

Is it ok if we label a product as organic because FAO/CODEX says it is ok, yet it has been demonstrated as an attributing factor to cancer? Is FAO/CODEX really aware of our Caribbean struggle with cancer? Are we aware enough about the link between the chemicals we use, the food we eat and cancer? Isn't one of the main reasons to eat organic to reduce the cancer risk in our body from the synthesized chemicals which are already prohibited in organic farming?

This is confusing.

This further makes the case that not only do we need to define what organic means to our Caribbean region but we also need to engage the general public in voicing whether and how their health (and our environmental health) improves when we use organic products, produce and methods of farming.

The definition of organic has been corrupted. Especially in our Caribbean spaces where *hello* we have access to an abundance to natural/organic methods and products without the burden of large agricultural and food systems to inhibit how to match our solutions to problems i.e. cow manure to depleting soils. Literally my grandmother used to drive through the country to pick up cow manure patties for her back yard garden. It wasn't that complicated.

Likewise when the Sargassum Seaweed came in, it took my mum and I at most an hour to go to the east coast and pick up that seaweed to use in our garden. It took a little longer (about a day to get it organized between the local conservation agency and two farmers to get a truck load of seaweed to them on a larger scale - but still we are talking one day of our time. It can get done.

Again. Why are we making this so difficult?

It is time to make this organic movement more transparent, create systems which thwart the corruption of organic meaning while simplifying a culturally relevant definition of organic and natural produce and products.

The way we work is that we will respect and build with the entities which have historically been involved in organic growing and definitions.

Let's start with what is happening in Barbados with organic certification and value added products validation.

Our next article will focus on the Organic Growers and Consumers Association.

#Healthy #BetterCaribbean #Sustainable