Little over a year ago I posted the following long comment about veganic gardening/farming on the Vegan Freaks forum (I’m hoping it is acceptable to repost it here, since it is a document I first wrote and saved in a file on my laptop). I remember the comment received a few “thanks” by other members, which I appreciated, but no responses whatsoever (I haven’t been on Vegan Freaks in something like five months, but I seriously doubt it has received any new responses since I was last logged in). I was disappointed, only because I was hoping my post would kick start a discussion on veganic agriculture and at least get people talking about it. It is my experience that few vegans have heard of veganic gardening/farming, and those who have heard of it, simply are not that interested. I won’t speculate on why I think vegans are not interested, because that would require an analysis on the current state of the animal rights movement, and I promised myself I would not go there on this blog.
I admit that the post is not well written, and perhaps it is not as persuasive as I would like. It is also quite long. And maybe the “Happy Plants” theme is a little over the top, too. But I thought I would post it here on
Written circa Feb. 2009
Are organically grown fruits and vegetables the Happy Meat of the vegetable/fruit produce world?
Happy Plants?! Happy Veggies?!
A few weeks ago, I became interested in growing a small vegetable and herb garden this year in my backyard, so I began doing a little research into organic gardening with veganism in mind. What I discovered was "veganic" farming and gardening. For those who may not know (as I did not know until recently), "veganic" is shorthand for "vegan organic." I didn't even know veganic gardening/farming existed until about three weeks ago.
As some of you may also not know (as I didn't), that many of the fertilizers that organic farmers use are made of animal-derived products. Though there are others, the four most common ones are chicken manure, blood meal, bone meal, and fish meal/emulsion.
For example, the chicken manure that many organic farmers use is basically droppings that come directly from chickens enslaved on factory farms. From a vegan point of view, this is disturbing. But even from an organic (non-vegan) farmer's standpoint, I would think this practice would NOT be considered organic, since the standard principle for organic agriculture is to renounce factory-farmed animals/meat and substitute it with free-range animals and "happy meat."
Apparently, for organic farmers, it's not okay to raise animals in factory farms and eat the meat thereof, but it is perfectly acceptable to use the excreta (urine and feces) of the animals raised in the factory farms, as well as the flesh, bones, and blood of animals killed in slaughterhouses, to grow plants for consumption.
Ethics aside, to say these "organic" factory-farm-derived fertilizers are healthy would be dubious. The antibiotics, hormones, and other toxic chemicals that are fed to factory-farmed animals bioaccumulate (build up) in the bodies of the animals. The chemicals also end up in their waste. Subsequently, organic fertilizers that are made up of the factory-farmed animal parts and excrement retain these harmful chemicals.
Studies by the
Some organic farmers attempt to use fertilizer that comes from their own land, by using the manure that naturally accumulates from their cattle (whom the farmer, more than likely, breeds). This is organic farming "at its best" (meaning, it seems to be considered the most sustainable system that organic farmers can adopt). These organic farmers try to achieve what is called a "closed-system" in which most of their resources (to the best of their ability) comes from their own holding. Their fertilizer/manure is not transported from elsewhere, therefore cutting down on the farm's carbon footprint. Still...this food is grown with animal excrement from farms that breed animals.
The (100% CSA) organic farm, from which I receive a box of veggies/fruits each week, "owns" a load of cattle on their land. These bovines reproduce regularly. The farm does not sell the cattle as meat for profit, but they do use them to provide manure for the crops. And they do eat the meat from the animals raised on their farm. They also are now practicing biodynamic agriculture, which I only started to read about this week - only to find out that biodynamic techniques are far from vegan. For example, biodynamic farmers will bury certain "compost preparations" in the soil of their crops to produce a more "healthy" yield; these "preparations" can include cattle horns filled with manure, chamomile placed in cattle intestines, yarrow blossoms stuffed inside a deer bladder, and oak bark placed inside the skull of an animal. These seemingly ritualistic practices are considered "organic."
Not all organic farmers practice these same methods, but some of you may be surprised by what methods your local organic farmer uses to grow their crops,regardless of whether you are buying organic produce from a farmer's market, co-op, or directly from an organic farm itself. Apart from veganic farms, you'll be hard-pressed to find an organic vegetable farm that refrains from using animals and animal-derived fertilizer(s) .
I'm not writing this to judge, insult, or criticize organic farmers...just as I no longer waste time judging those who "raise" or eat happy meat. It's a waste of my time. And many organic farmers are very good people doing what they think is best - they still provide vegetables and fruit that are free of pesticides and other harmful toxins, etc....
BUT, that does not mean that my perspective on organic farming hasn't changed - from a vegan viewpoint, it certainly has. When new facts are presented to me, it takes time to assess them. Figure out what they mean to me.
And I have come to the conclusion that organic farming, from a vegan perspective, is not a whole lot better than conventional agriculture. What Happy Meat is to factory farming, organic vegetable/fruit is to conventional farming (i.e., organic vegetables/fruit are the Happy Meat of the produce world: Happy Plants).
Perhaps it's true that we have bigger issues to contend with - like shutting down factory farming. But that does not mean that we should bury our heads in the sand and not demand that our vegetables and fruit are obtained and grown from healthy and ethical sources. To say that it is not important (or less important) is like saying that we should be content eating happy meat because factory-farmed meat is so much more harmful to animals, which we know to be a fallacy. And if our organic vegetables are grown from sources that support factory farming or our food is grown by those who use animals as means to their ends, then how is eating organic food in place of Monsanto-grown food any different than eating happy meat in place of factory-farmed meat? For an abolitionist in particular, the distinctions should be clear. If we are to be adamant that animal use should be abolished, then organic farming methods MUST GO, and veganic farming needs to take their place.
Some vegans may say that I am being nit picky. And that we have bigger battles to win than to attack organic practices. And anyway, do we really have a choice? We all have only two choices as a consumer - to buy/eat conventionally grown Monsanto-type produce or organic produce.
To that I say...is the use of an animal more cruel by degree in one instance than in another? According to true animal rights principles it is not. Yet, every day, many of us vegans proudly support organic farms by buying their vegetables and fruit. Even though these farms breed animals, use practices and products that support factory farming, or use other morbid and cruel techniques that are otherwise normally repugnant to vegans.
So what do we do?
I have found that
There are some veganic farms here in the
My ultimate point is that we should start thinking about how and where our vegetables are grown...not just from an organic standpoint...not just from a locavore standpoint...or a fair-trade standpoint...but from a vegan standpoint. Have we come all this way as vegans just to accept that our produce is either toxin-ridden/genetically modified (via conventional agriculture) or is grown with the use of animals and animal by-products (via "organic" farms)? We do have other choices...
Find out if there is a veganic farm near you and support them.** If one doesn't exist (yet!) in your locale (as in my case), visit the farm that grows your vegetables and fruit. Ask them about their practices. Let them know that you are a vegan. Open up a discussion about how they are using animals on their farm (if they seem open to it). Talking to them may not change their mind immediately, but you may plant a seed. In any case, visiting the farm will make you more aware of how the farm is run. I have found that the farmers enjoy talking about what they do and appreciate the interest.
At best...learn how to grow your own vegetables and fruit the veganic way. Let's start growing our own food. A book called Foods Not Lawns has an astounding eye-opening message about how lawns are so unbelievably unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly. The time and energy invested into a lawn can instead be invested into a vegetable garden that will allow you to make your own choices in the way your food is grown. Imagine if everyone on your block had a vegetable garden in place of a lawn - a lawn that sucks up natural resources, wastes copious amounts of water, and deprives the free-roaming animals of their habitat. Imagine the abundance of food that could be grown from these gardens - even enough to share with those in the community who are underprivileged. What if we each put a little bit of our time each day into growing some food the same way we put time into doing other activities that we deem routine, such as folding our clothes, washing the dishes, or preparing our meals? And anyone can grow a garden, even those without a backyard (using containers or raised beds).
I don't have a green thumb, so this new venture of growing vegetables will be full of trials and errors for me. But, like when I wanted to become vegan and knew little about eating a plant-based diet, I am willing to endure some failures if it means I succeed in the end. Because I'm starting out with a small garden to begin with, I will still have to supplement my diet from my local organic farm and the co-op. For me, growing my own food is not an all-or-nothing decision, but a gradual journey toward an even *more* animal-free diet. But the first step is taken...by educating myself a little bit about organic and veganic farming, I am now more aware.
If nothing else, let's start talking MORE about veganic gardening/farming. I rarely find any vegans even mentioning vegan organic farming, much less making the connection between organic produce and the animals used in the methods to grow it. Why?
Let's start supporting veganic farms more loudly...even if there is no veganic farm located near us...let's sing the praises of those that do exist and encourage more people to start veganic farms or switch to veganic practices. Veganic methods should not be difficult to apply, in fact, they simply hark back to the simple traditional methods of farming before the advent of conventional agriculture and giant corporations.
A vegan certification program (see link below) for US farms is being developed. This certification is modeled on the Stockfree-Organic Certification program that was developed in the
Hopefully, more farmers will take it upon themselves to switch to veganic techniques and seek out veganic certification.
I hope more veganic farms come into existence in the years to come. The more we make ourselves aware, the more we make this a bigger issue...the more veganic farms will hopefully start cropping up everywhere.
Eating a plant-based diet is one of the main components in the core of our philosophy as animal rightists. Therefore, veganically grown food should be a big part of our vegan advocacy/outreach/education. One of the best forms of animal-rights activism is to support veganic farms and/or to grow your own veganic food!
Here are some resources for veganic farming/gardening:
What is veganic farming:
http://www.goveganic.net/spip.php?article19
** Is a veganic farm near you?
http://www.goveganic.net/spip.php?rubrique4
Veganic Agriculture Network (in US)
http://www.goveganic.net/
Vegan Organic Network (in
http://www.veganorganic.net/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Growing Green: A book on animal-free organic techniques:
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Green-Animal-Free-Organic-Techniques/dp/1933392495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235462479&sr=8-1
Certified Veganic Program
http://www.certifiedveganic.org/goals.html
Veganic Standards and Practices (Certified Veganic)
http://www.certifiedveganic.org/veganicstandards.html
Veganic Organic Growing, The Basics (a guide on how to grow your own veganic garden!)
http://www.veganorganic.net/images/sheet4.pdf
More information on how to grow a veganic garden (by the Veganic Agriculture Network)
http://www.veganorganic.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=11&Itemid=53
What can you do to further the veganic movement?
http://www.goveganic.net/spip.php?article84
Other websites/resources:
http://www.navs-online.org/veganic_gardening/index.php
http://www.vegansociety.com/people/lifestyle/home_and_garden/veganic_gardening.php
Satya article written by Kate and Ron Khosla of Huguenot Street Farm (a very progressive veganic farm in NY):
http://www.satyamag.com/jun01/khosla.html
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:Q6Enfw_2Cv0J:www.ediblenature.com/library/PDF_e-
http://www.veganpoet.com/articles/vegan-organic-gardening.htm
http://pattricejones.info/blog/archives/10
http://pattricejones.info/blog/archives/21
http://www.btinternet.com/~bury_rd/weeds.htm
* http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/6/2082?
*http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/36/4/1224?
