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Environmentally Friendly Agriculture: The Real “Health Food” by Tolif Hunt Project Coordinator, Sideling Hill Creek and Agricultural Specialist  Increasingly, western Pennsylvanians have begun to ask the important questions of where does my food come from and how was my food produced? These questions have been thrust into the spotlight in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh-area hepatitis A outbreak, and of course, the nation’s first case of mad cow disease in the state of Washington. Many consumers in Pennsylvania and across the country have begun to look toward “alternative” food sources, such as small butcher shops and farmer’s markets, in an attempt to be more conscious about purchasing food that helps us determine where and how it was produced. In most cases, the growing trend of adding a level of discretion to our selection of food sources is manifested in considering personal health issues, such as selecting “organic” or “all natural” foods versus mainstream selections. As the trend toward finding and selecting healthy foods and food sources continues, it is important to seriously consider what our definition of “healthy food” is. A good starting point is to include in what we classify as “health friendly” foods, those foods that are “environmentally friendly” as an inseparable criteria.So, was your food raised in such a way that Pennsylvania’s scarce natural resources were efficiently and sustainably used, and the impact of farming on the natural environment minimized? If you purchase organic goods, you know that pesticides and/or hormones were not used and, thus, not advertently or inadvertently released into the environment. But what about agricultural conservation practices and their use during the production of your food? Was your food, whether organic or not, raised in Pennsylvania? These questions are important not only to the environmentally conscious consumer, but also those consumers who are primarily interested in maintaining or improving their own bodily health. In essence, the selection of “health foods” should include not just foods that are good for your personal health, but also those that promote a healthy environment and the health of rural communities where these foods are produced. The reason health food should include the aspects of “locally grown” and “environmentally friendly” are rather complex. However, the following can provide some insight. The value of locally grown, environmentally friendly foods (whether organic or not) is found in the impact your purchase has on the rural landscape and infrastructure. Environmentally friendly agricultural products will directly or indirectly protect the environment by minimizing the potentially negative impacts of agriculture on natural communities. However, such products also do something more; they also protect and preserve the farm’s natural resource base, such as the farm’s soils, pastures and/or herd health. Protecting a farm’s natural resource base is often overlooked as a benefit of agricultural conservation, but this aspect is as important as the environmental protection each practice provides. Farms that have a healthy natural resources base, such as healthy and resilient soils, can maintain production over time with less and less reliance on chemicals, if used at all. Similarly, farms that implement streambank fencing, for example, are not only protecting your favorite fishing spot and the stream’s riparian habitat, but also reducing the risk of herd health problems, and thus the need for vaccinations or pesticides. The impact of purchasing “environmentally friendly” agricultural products extends even further yet. When the environment is protected and the farm is operating with a healthy natural resource base, it is also spending less money and energy on repairing problems arising from an unhealthy agricultural natural resource base. Less money spent on these activities means more money for the farmer to invest in conservation and the local economy. The result is an economically viable and environmentally sound farm, which then translates into an economically and environmentally stable rural community. Essentially, by purchasing locally grown products that are also environmentally friendly, you are providing the economic incentive to implement and sustain agricultural conservation practices. In the greater Sideling Hill Creek watershed, WPC is beginning an initiative that will attempt to build a conservation-based beef co-op (or similar entity) around this concept of “environmentally friendly” agricultural products. By focusing on marketing a product that incorporates human health, environmental health and the health of the rural community, we hope to build and strengthen the area’s foundation for environmental and economic sustainability. This initiative, as well as many like it, will depend upon the consumer’s awareness to the fact that the quest for “health friendly” foods should extend beyond personal health considerations. Health food, as a food selection criteria, should also incorporate the health of western Pennsylvania’s environment, the farm producing the food, and the community in which the farm resides. Tolif Hunt can be reached at thunt@paconserve.org. |
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