Confronting Challenges in Organic Farming

#180:  In our first-ever podcast swap, we are sharing the interview that kicked off JM Fortier's pilot season of The Market Gardener Podcast. JM invited our co-director Dave Chapman to visit him in-person in Quebec, for a lengthy deep dive into the origins of Real Organic Project and why this work is needed more now than ever. Is this work about food and the food system, or something deeper? And how much should farmers and eaters be involved in spreading the word and working to find solutions?  As always, you can expect to learn something new from both of these deep-thinking farmers.

To watch a video version of this podcast please visit:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/jm-fortier-interviews-dave-chapman-episode-one-hundred-eighty

JM Fortier is a farmer, educator, and author from Quebec, Canada, who also appears on a weekly television show. He is known for promoting a culture that replicates small-scale diversified farms that rely on market gardening strategies (direct sales of cash crops to community members) and human-powered growing practices. In the late spring of 2024, JM and his fried Chris Moran launched the Market Gardener Podcast:

https://themarketgardener.com/podcast/

You can learn more about JM and his many adventures here:

https://www.en.jeanmartinfortier.com/

Dave Chapman owns and operates Long Wind Farm in East Thetford, VT, which concentrates on soil-grown glasshouse tomatoes that are produced year round. Dave and fellow Vermont tomato farmer Davey Miskell noticed the suspicious appearance of  hydroponic tomatoes from other countries being sold with the USDA organic sticker over a decade ago. Their research led to a web of injustices affecting real organic farmers, including berry growers, dairy producers,  grain farmers and more. The Real Organic Project was founded in 2017 and has evolved into an add-on food label. It is a 100% farmer-led organization.

The Real Organic Podcast is hosted by Dave Chapman and Linley Dixon, engineered by Brandon StCyr, and edited and produced by Jenny Prince.

The Real Organic Project is a farmer-led movement that has certified over 1,000 farms across the United States. Our add-on food label distinguishes soil-grown fruits and vegetables from hydroponically-raised produce, and pasture-raised meat, milk, and eggs from products harvested from animals in horrific confinement (CAFOs - confined animal feeding operations). 

To find a Real Organic farm near you, please visit:

https://realorganicproject.org/directory/

We believe that the organic standards, with their focus on soil health, biodiversity, and animal welfare were written as they should be, but that the current lack of enforcement of those standards is jeopardizing the ability for small farms who adhere to the law to stay in business. And the lack of enforcement is jeopardizing the very cycles (water, air, nutrients) that Earth relies upon to provide us all with a place to live, by pushing extractive, chemical agriculture to the forefront.

We certify farms for free! If you are able to support our work financially, please consider making a donation:

https://realorganicproject.org/donate/

To read our popular weekly newsletter and get firsthand news about what's happening with organic food, farming, and policy, please subscribe here:

https://www.realorganicproject.org/email/