PURCHASING POWER are tons of ways to put it to good use.
decided to talk to someone a bit more informed. So, on a recent trip to Sweet Persimmon Village in Changwon, Gyeongsangbukdo, where I occasionally volunteer by picking persimmons or teach-
Personally, I’m into food. Food is at the nexus of so many crucial issues, from environmental degradation to women’s rights, from indiAntibiotic-free Meat vidual health to social justice, from the slow death of rural communities to the explosion of cities and the expansion of corporations. Name a social or political problem – I guarantee you that someway, somehow, food links Organic Livestock in. And, because we all eat three or more times a day, we have thousands of opportunities a year to make our dollars (yeah, ok, not dollars, but whatever) count. One of the single best things you can do for your health, for society’s, and for the planet’s, is to support local, organic farmers as much as possible. This cuts down on fertilizer in the water, reduces the amount of pesticide in your food, decreases the amount of fossil fuel used to bring your food to your plate, tends to keep farms small and diversified, and leaves all the plants and animals involved – including us! – safer and stronger. Or, at least, so one hopes. It all depends on what the word “organic” means. I thought I pretty much knew the answer, but in order to get a little more clarity, I
several generations, and Mr. Gang himself graduated with an MS in Agricultural Science from Seoul National University. He has been studying and experimenting with organic agriculture for years, and his farm produces persimmons at each Low Pesticide level of certification, in addition to rice, watermelons, strawberries, and all the food that he and his family need for the year. He pulled out a bunch of documents and we went through them together. Here’s what I learned:
Organic Produce
Pesticide-free produce
ing kids how to sow and harvest potatoes and rice, I sat down for a chat with Mr. Gang Chang-guk (강창국). Mr. Gang’s family has been farming persimmons for
Various public and private groups are authorized to grant certifications to farmers; no matter which one the farmer chooses to go through, though, all certifications in Korea share some basic ground rules, laid out by the National Agricultural Products Management Service (NAQS). First of all, farmers who apply for certifications of any type have to be willing to open their farm to inspectors at any time, and have to have produce samples inspected before sale. Second, they must only use government-approved varieties of low-impact fertilizers and pesticides, always keeping on hand detailed information about which and how much. Third, they have to keep detailed records of their yields and whom they sell their produce to. Fourth, they must demonstrate a constant yearly decline in the amount of
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