SANTA CRUZ >> Organic is everywhere. Since the early 1970s, the organic label has moved from an agricultural outlier to the American mainstream, from the local farmers market to chain stores. That is thanks in large part to UC Santa Cruz alumnus Mark Lipson.
He has returned to his UCSC roots as a research associate with UCSC’s Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, the first university program dedicated to teaching organic farming practices.
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EARLY CONFUSION
When Lipson joined California Certified Organic Farmers as its first staff member in 1985, the group’s standards were the de facto national standard because they were the only standard. But as Lipson came to realize there were many inconsistencies in the agricultural community of what was organic. As the industry boomed in the late 1980s, the label became widely used and abused, misunderstood and misappropriated. The marketplace was chaotic.
“Not all labels were the same and it was difficult to grow the market because of mislabeling,” Lipson said. “The consumer didn’t know what they were getting.”
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FEDERAL LAW DRAFTED
With Merrigan and a large cast of organic farmers from around the country, Lipson helped draft a federal law to set national regulation for organic farming production and the “Organically Produced” label. ………..
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“Establishing federal standards was a catalyst that would not have happened without the critical mass of producers on the ground doing it and a consumer interest in a less toxic food supply.”
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While the organic movement has moved into mainstream consciousness, there is still a long way to go to advance organic farming methods, Lipson says. While consumers can advocate for change, he argues that the marketplace has limitations and the field needs more federal resources to explore new challenges and circumstances farmers now face.
Back at UC Santa Cruz, Lipson wants to inspire a new generation of analysts and policymakers to advocate for advancing research and institutional change for supporting organics. “We need a lot more organic hearts and minds in the policy sphere.”
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Article source: Santa Cruz Sentinel
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