For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s All About Organics page and our Farm Issues page.
Local, sustainable food has become a regular part of our everyday
culture as demonstrated through the growing interest in school gardens,
Community Supported Agriculture, local farmers’ markets, underground
dining clubs, and organics in general. This enduring trend in
sustainable food reignites a question posed on Triple Pundit two years
ago: “Is Sustainable Farming Going Mainstream?” Unfortunately not at all
as the sustainable food hype trumps the numbers.

In 2008 organic cropland represented only 0.7 percent in the United States and, at the current growth rate, it is expected to reach not more than 2.5 percent by 2050.

Much of the momentum and buzz in the organics industry has been sparked by key icons and influential leaders who have driven the conversation through thought-provoking books, films, TV shows, and other media engagements. Storytelling about food issues has changed the way Americans view and think about food. Since Michael Pollan unveiled Omnivore’s Dilemma in 2006, vivid images of cattle crammed together in CAFOs and swimming in antibiotic-infused manure occupy the minds of many. And, when Jamie Oliver visited schools in 2010 and discovered that kids confuse potatoes with tomatoes and school bureaucrats call french fries a vegetable, education about where food comes from has become increasingly popular.