Sanet Post, Patrick Madden,
Re: Gussow on Nutrition/Food Systems
December 9, 1996

In response to Chuck Benbrook's fine comentary on Joan Gussow's insights regarding organic food, I totally concur that to look only at nutrient content of organic foods is to miss the point. The farmers I have visited in the US and other countries who have made great sacrifices to make "organic" (or biodynamic, or MOA Nature Farming, etc.) work on their farms seem to me not to be motivated by mere nutrient content, but by love of the Earth, of the biodiversity, the robustness of natural systems, the thrill of knowing they are doing something special for Earth and humanity -- and much more than I can adequately describe. And consumers who willingly pay extra to get organic produce may not be motivated by the prospect of more vitamin C etc, but may be sensing something far more important, but harder to measure or describe. Like many of the most important realities of life ( such as Love, Truth, Wisdom etc) the finer essences of "organic" farming and foods can only be understood by direct and open-minded experience, not by reductionist meaurement. It's like a proverb I heard recently in the Orient, which translates roughly into something like "He who tries to analyze the cause of the cherry blossum's fragrance may fail to enjoy its beauty."

Joan Gussow has contributed a very perceptive chapter entitled "Can an Organic Twinkie Be Certified?" for publication in a forthcoming book, For All Generations -- Making World Agriculture More Sustainable. Other chapters are contributed by Fred Kirschenmann "On Becoming Lovers of the Soil," and "Expanding the Vision of Sustainable Agriculture," and others, plus profiles or small case studies of over 50 organizations around the world that are working on various aspects of making agriculture more sustainable. WSAA will publish the book (about 480 pages) in early 1997. I will provide details on ordering when it is available.

Patrick Madden, President
World Sustainable Agriculture Association