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For the past 50 years there’s been a growing awareness about the relationship between the land, agriculture, chemicals, food, health and the environment. Even before Rachel Carson penned
The Silent Spring, Albert Howard and J. I. Rodale discovered the virtuous circle of organic and sustainable agriculture and the dynamic relationship between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people.

Carson’s book, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last month, catalogued the devastating effects of synthetic pesticides, namely DDT, on nature and bird populations and launched the modern environmental movement. Her sharp critique of chemical companies and their spreading of intentional disinformation culminated in the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the banning of DDT and launched the modern environmental movement.

In the intervening years, this movement of citizens from all walks of life has grown to include millions of Americans who recognize the deep connection between humans’ interactions with the environment, our health and our inherent democratic rights.

Pioneers in the good food revolution like Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson along with organic and sustainable farmers like Fred Kirschenmann and Jim Cochran helped lay a foundation for a healthier way to farm and feed the world’s growing population in a way that creates a healthier planet.

The organic and sustainable agriculture movement rose as a direct response to the threats that chemical agriculture posed to both human health and the environment. But during the past 50 years, giant chemical and agribusiness companies have consolidated control over the food supply, driving more than a million family farmers off the land and dangerously concentrating power into a handful of companies in every sector of food production.

At the same time, what started as an underground revolution in organic, chemical-free agriculture has grown into a powerful economic force with more than 50 million regular organic consumers and more than $31 billion in annual sales.