Organic Farming | Fruit Company Gifts

Organic fruits and vegetables in the U.S. today

In agriculture, the fastest and steadiest growth has been in organic farming. It has shown consistent progress for the past 10 years. In 2009, the sale of organic fruits and vegetables showed over an 11 percent increase from the previous year. By 2008, certified organic acreage in the United States reached almost five million acres; California was the lead state, with well over 400 thousand acres of cropland.

In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act after requests and petitions from numerous organic industries. Among the petitioners were the American Farm Bureau, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The Organic Foods Production Act is based on federal regulations that set the definition for organic farming methods, and on acceptable organic production inputs, from a national list. The intent was to set a standardized, minimum set of rules for all organic producers to follow. By 1993, the program was implemented; however, due to a lack of funding it had a slow start. After 1994 the funding was available and the program took off.

Strict laws and regulations must be followed for a grower to be certified as organic, additionally, they are inspected every year. Crops have to be grown on land that is free of pesticides and other listed substances, for at least three years previous to harvest. Other standards include careful oversight of soil richness, and proper manure disposal.

States with large amounts of certified organic cropland include Montana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. California leads all the states with more than 400 thousand acres. Vegetable stats show organic carrots make up 25 percent of the entire carrot crop produced, and organic lettuce represents about 8 percent of all lettuce acreage.

Organic farming brings communities together

Communities in states across the nation are becoming involved in sustainable agriculture. The past few years of unhealthy eating have created numerous reports about Americans bad health and alarming obesity rates. Couple that with the environmental issues and it’s no wonder there has been such a rise in organic farming and community gardens.

Community Garden

In the United States, two-thirds of adults, and 25 percent of all kids are considered overweight or obese. The downturn of the economy over the last four years caused over 14 percent of the (U.S.) population to fall into, or below the poverty level. It may not sound like much, but 14 percent of our population equals almost 43 million people.

This, along with the plight of the environment, has caused a rise in organic farming and community type gardens. In 2008, certified organic acreage reached about 5 million acres. In 2009, sales of organic food and beverages reached 24 billion dollars. People want healthier food.

Many communities are also participating in “community” gardens. There are around five thousand gardens that have been created across the United States now. Some were created to help beautify an area that has become neglected or impoverished. Area residents were encouraged to participate in cleaning up, landscaping and planting flowers in an area that would be seen as “belonging” to the community.

This helped to cultivate a sense of teamwork and personal responsibility; encouraging neighbors to help take care of one another. Other communities planted actual vegetable gardens in areas that were predominately poor. Everyone was invited to participate by helping to clean up, tilling, and planting the food. Because it belongs to everyone in that neighborhood, they are all responsible for the upkeep, and they get part of the food that’s grown.

These gardens help join people together, and clean up areas that have become downtrodden. It helps kids get out of the house and into nature, teaches everyone responsibility, and gives them a renewed sense of pride in their community. Plus, the vegetable gardens help feed countless families that may not get vegetables or fruit otherwise.

All of this just in time for Earth Day. Help us celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2011 and pick up a piece of trash, give your neighbor some fruit from your tree and thank Mother Earth in your own way!