Chlorpyrifos – a toxic pesticide – is being allowed to poison our planet thanks to the EPA. Friends of the Earth is pushing Congress to ban it.
Including pesticide reduction as a vital part of the regenerative agriculture conversation ensures that Monsanto and its ilk do not define the path forward.
Our agricultural system is so intertwined with the economic system that is causing the climate crisis that any Green New Deal will need to address how we produce and consume what we eat. That will require actions from combatting corporate consolidation to ensuring fair prices for farmers to supporting growers to transition to sustainable farming practices.
Can eating organic really reduce levels of pesticides in our bodies? A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Environmental Research found that switching to an organic diet significantly reduced the levels of synthetic pesticides found in all participants in just one week.
Like millions of farmworkers who have labored in America’s fields and orchards, I know what it’s like to grow the food we eat using toxic pesticides.
For the first year, all major garden retailers are on record committing to eliminate the use of neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticides on the products and garden plants that they sell.
As organic farmers, we care deeply about the food we put in our bodies and how it’s grown. On our small farm in middle Georgia, my husband and I grow U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic food.
This research confirms what is intuitive and supports what the President's Cancer Panel told us nearly a decade ago: reducing exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, including pesticides, reduces your risk of cancer.
When it comes to taking action on climate change, transitioning to renewable energy and kicking our fossil fuel addiction typically get the most attention. But the food we eat and how we grow it is just as central. Data show that many agricultural practices, including organic farming, can have a significant impact in the fight to protect people and the planet.
America’s eaters and farmers deserve a Farm Bill that addresses our many food-related environmental crises, from climate change to soil erosion and pollinator decline.