For related articles and information, please visit OCA’s Health Issues page and our Organic Transitions page.

As a physician, it’s very obvious to me that the food we eat plays a major role in our health. As a result, the health of the general population can give us a pretty accurate picture of the nutritional status of our food.

About 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is spent on processed foods,1 and the health of the average American is a testament to the abject failure of such foods to support good health.

Countless health statistics unequivocally show us that the direction we’ve been going in is not in our best interest. We’ve simply strayed too far from our dietary roots and become so disconnected from our food sources.

Fortunately, more and more people are now beginning to recognize this, and are making efforts to get back to
real food. Many are now sensing this disconnection from the sources of their food as a disconnection from life itself, and it’s no wonder, because that’s essentially what it is.

As the sustainer of life, food surely deserves to be regarded with some measure of reverence. And it certainly deserves to place high on anyone’s list of priorities in life.

Necessity Breeds a New Generation of ‘Greenhorn’ Farmers

Fortunately, there’s change afoot… People across America, from all walks of life, are taking part in a process to reinvent our food system.

The featured film,
The Greenhorns,2 demonstrates how we can collectively transform the current industrial monoculture, chemical-based agricultural paradigm into a healthier, more sustainable way of feeding ourselves and our neighbors, while restoring the health of our ailing planet.

“The Greenhorns documentary film… explores the lives of America’s young farming community – its spirit, practices, and needs.

It is the filmmaker’s hope that by broadcasting the stories and voices of these young farmers, we can build the case for those considering a career in agriculture – to embolden them, to entice them, and to recruit them into farming.

The production of The Greenhorns is part of our grassroots nonprofit’s larger campaign for agricultural reform… Today’s young farmers are dynamic entrepreneurs, stewards of place.

They are involved in local politics, partnering with others, inventing new social institutions, working with mentors, starting their careers as apprentices, borrowing money from the bank, putting in long hours, taking risks, innovating, experimenting…

These young farmers have vision: a prosperous, satisfying, sustainable food system.”