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November 10, 2009

Daniel Parson delivered a CEP talk on organic gardening before introducing the first crops harvested from PC's organic garden, which he directs. Urging the crowd of 300 students to always consider their relationship to the food they eat, Parson spoke about his own farming background as well as conventional and alternative food systems.

“You could sense from the focus and the questions,” said Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology Dr. John Inman, “that many students were concerned about the message of food production and its importance in their lives.”

Parson discussed farmers who have control over their production system, which is vastly different from corporate-controlled farms of today.

Parson praised “farms that are, as renowned farmer and writer Joel Salatin puts it, 'aromatically and aesthetically pleasing,' farms that are kind to the environment, farms that are good neighbors, and farms that give back to the community because they are part of the community.”

He mentioned that, because of over-fertilization and the depletion of minerals from our soils today, our food is nutritionally poorer than it was fifty years ago. Further, he said that while most cows today are fed grain, grass-fed cows produce beef that is much healthier and more similar to the beef of wild game, containing lower fat and more Omega-3 and Vitamin E.

In addition, Parson spoke about the Real Food Revolution, which is “populated by producers, seed savers, activists, and organizations.” According to Parson, organic farming organizations such as the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and Georgia Organics are actively providing a healthier way of producing and supplying food.

“The movement is well-established and growing,” Parson said, “and these organizations thrive on grassroots membership of farmers and consumers alike.”

Parson said that the conventional food system, which is controlled mainly by a handful of large corporations, is responsible for most of the food people consume today. The alternative food system, where farmers have control of production, is responsible for less than 3% of today's food.

“The alternative food system is tiny and can't feed us all,” Parson said, “but that is why we need to nurture and grow it in order to have a viable alternative.”

“It was interesting to learn how agricultural corporations control all aspects of food production,” said Steven Smith, president of Students for Environmental Education. “I was also interested to learn how corporate farming has reduced the diversity and nutrition of farm products.”

Parson noted that a single package of ground beef, for example, could contain parts from animals all over the world. Further, he said that any student in the crowd would have to eat two apples to get the same nutrition their grandparents acquired from eating one.

Finally, Parson urged students to consider the money spent on food.

"If we shift some of this money away from fast and easy processed foods and into buying fresh, locally grown, sustainably raised food, we can make a difference in the kind of food that is available in our world," Parson said. "And we can strive to be true to the Slow Food Motto and all eat food that is good, clean, and fair."