The Organic 1%: Sustainable Farming in a Broken System

By Cyndie Hoffman

Local, sustainable food has become a regular part of our everyday culture as demonstrated through the growing interest in school gardens, Community Supported Agriculture, local farmers' markets, underground dining clubs, and organics in general. This enduring trend in sustainable food reignites a question posed on Triple Pundit two years ago: "Is Sustainable Farming Going Mainstream?" Unfortunately not at all as the sustainable food hype trumps the numbers.

In 2008 organic cropland represented only 0.7 percent in the United States and, at the current growth rate, it is expected to reach not more than 2.5 percent by 2050.

Much of the momentum and buzz in the organics industry has been sparked by key icons and influential leaders who have driven the conversation through thought-provoking books, films, TV shows, and other media engagements. Storytelling about food issues has changed the way Americans view and think about food. Since Michael Pollan unveiled Omnivore's Dilemma in 2006, vivid images of cattle crammed together in CAFOs and swimming in antibiotic-infused manure occupy the minds of many. And, when Jamie Oliver visited schools in 2010 and discovered that kids confuse potatoes with tomatoes and school bureaucrats call french fries a vegetable, education about where food comes from has become increasingly popular. 

Broken heart link in parent study

Bereaved parents are up to four times more likely to die in the decade after a child's death, it suggested Parents who lose a baby before its first birthday are more likely to die early themselves, according to a study.

Researchers at York and Stirling universities said bereaved parents were up to four times more likely to die in the decade following the child's death.

Previous studies have suggested there is a similar effect after the death of a spouse - often referred to as dying of a "broken heart".

The impact of losing a child has not been analysed to the same extent.

This research, published in BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, is the first to look at the effect on UK parents.

Its authors have said their findings are of "major concern" and have called for more research.

Stillbirths

The study was not large enough to analyse how many of the deaths were due to suicide or other causes such as stress.

"The stress of bereavement may involve significant physiological effects - for example suppressing the immune system thereby increasing one's propensity to disease," the report said.

Another theory is that stillbirths and infant deaths may be more common in parents who have poor health.

Although the risk of premature death lessened over time, the researchers found that it was particularly pronounced in mothers, who continued to be 1.2 times more likely to die 30 years after the death of a baby.