<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Consolas;
panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char";
margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:Consolas;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.PlainTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Plain Text";
font-family:Consolas;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="2050" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=WordSection1>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Thought some of you might find this interesting. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Susan K<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Chinese Urbanites Bring Organic Farming to the
Countryside<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>(Beyond Pesticides, November 8, 2010) After numerous
scandals involving China’s industrialized food supply, a new movement is
afoot in the world’s most populous nation toward local, organic, and
sustainable food. According to a promising Washington Post report, “Young
Chinese farmers sowing seeds for organic revolution,” many of the organic
farmers working to meet the growing demand are urban professionals seeking an
escape from fast paced city life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The overuse of pesticides in industrialized agriculture
has created numerous problems for people and the environment. Pesticide use has
been linked to many diseases including numerous types of cancer,
Parkinson’s, and learning disabilities. In addition pesticides are also
dangerous to wildlife. Pesticides often kill non-target organisms that may be
beneficial to farmers, such as predatory insects.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Organic agriculture is an ecological approach to farming
that does not rely on or permit toxic pesticides, chemical fertilizers,
genetically modified organisms, antibiotics, sewage sludge, or irradiation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Instead of using these harmful products and practices,
organic agriculture utilizes techniques such as cover cropping, crop rotation,
and composting to produce healthy soil, prevent pest and disease problems, and
grow healthy food and fiber.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Just as in the United States, demand for local and
organic food is growing in China, and organic agriculture in China faces a
unique set of challenges. For centuries, farming in China was viewed as work
for impoverished peasants. Despite the fact that under Chairman Mao Zedong,
farming was elevated to a noble profession, today it is once again considered
one of the worst jobs in the country. When Shen Hui and her husband Chen
Shuaijun decided to start farming, they were ridiculed by their neighbors and
were furious to hear of their son’s plan to quit his job in the Shanghai
banking sector to return to farming. Once they started the farm, things
didn’t get much easier.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Mr. Chen insisted on farming without any chemical
pesticides or fertilizer, and many people scoffed at their methods. The work is
incredibly physically demanding for the couple, and making things more
difficult, since the farm has not turned a profit, the two still maintain their
office jobs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Several organic farmers in China also find it a challenge
to deal with rampant pollution. While organic farmers do not rely on synthetic
chemical fertilizers or pesticides, their soil or water supply may be laced
with all kinds of pollutants. A government report found pollution makes 43
percent of state monitored rivers are unsuitable for human contact.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Marketing organic crops is another difficulty in China.
Regulation of organic certification is weak at best and farmers say some
agencies will certify anything for a price. As a result many organic growers don’t
bother to certify their products, and instead just call them natural. The
regulatory aspect of this is a huge issue, particularly in light of recent
scandals with the food supply that have left many around the globe concerned
about the safety of their food. In 2008, over 1200 babies became sick from milk
powder formulated with the cheap industrial compound melamine. Other scandals
involved vegetables infected with dangerous bacteria, fish poisoned by
pollution, and cooking oil tainted with sewage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Despite the difficulties of organic, farmers have plenty
of reasons to be persistent. For organic grower Shen Hui the biggest draw of
farming was the food safety: she wanted to know where her food came from, and
what went into it. Organic food is also a luxury trend. China’s new
super-rich consume organic food, because it has become a status symbol. Shen
Hui and Chen Shuaijun also state that the simple joys of escaping city life and
eating the produce they grow outweigh the challenges.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Source: The Washington Post<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><a href="http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/">http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600"
o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f"
stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter" />
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" />
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" />
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" />
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" />
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" />
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" />
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" />
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" />
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" />
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" />
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" />
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" />
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" />
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" />
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="pareto" style='position:absolute;margin-left:37.5pt;margin-top:-12pt;
width:60.95pt;height:107.25pt;z-index:-1;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;
mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text' wrapcoords="-532 0 -532 21449 21795 21449 21795 0 -532 0">
<v:imagedata src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB7F19.5889D8D0" o:title="pareto" />
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width=81 height=143
src="cid:image002.jpg@01CB7F19.5889D8D0" align=left hspace=12 alt=pareto
v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"><![endif]><b><span style='color:#FF3300'>2080: The
Return of Pareto<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#FF3300'>by Susan Koswan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>Treehuggers.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>The
80/20 Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>One
long weekend... <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='color:#1D3A00'><a
href="http://www.volumesdirect.com"><span style='color:#1D3A00'>www.volumesdirect.com</span></a>
or <a href="mailto:dandelion@gto.net"><span style='color:#1D3A00'>dandelion@gto.net</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='color:#1D3A00'>In Waterloo Region bookstores
and libraries. Now on Kindle! <a href="http://www.amazon.com"><span
style='color:#1D3A00'>www.amazon.com</span></a></span></i><span
style='color:#1D3A00'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1D3A00'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>