Just & Sustainable
Agriculture
Industrial
agriculture: convenience at what cost?
Industrial agriculture contributes to many of North Carolina's most pressing environmental problems, from the toxic drift and runoff of pesticide residues and animal wastes, to the greenhouse gases emitted by farms and food transport. It has become harder for farmers to earn a decent living as the ownership of agriculture has shifted out of their hands, and concentrated in the hands of just a few multinational companies. According to the Census of Agriculture, North Carolina lost over 1,000 farms, and more than 600,000 acres of farmland between 2002 and 2007 - making us a national leader in farmland loss.
Sustainability
means more than just the environment.
Toxic Free NC promotes truly sustainable agriculture
for North Carolina, agriculture that is not only environmentally
sound, but also economically sustainable for growers and
safe and just for farmworkers.
We promote organic agriculture in NC and support
intiatives that make fresh, locally-produced organic foods
more readily available to consumers. Go
organic! We are helping local organizations start their own Community Food Projects, because every child deserves healthy, sustainable food to eat.
Through our Farm Worker Documentary Project, we are helping farm workers who've experienced first hand the dangers of pesticides to share their stories. Together with the NC Farmworker
Advocacy Network, we are working to reform public policy that too often allows
farmworkers and their children to be exposed to pesticides
that raise their risk for birth defects, cancer and other
serious health problems. More information at Policy Watch: Farm workers at risk from pesticide exposure.
We also advocate for the rights of farmworkers
and other rural families not to be exposed to toxic
pesticide drift.
Get
Involved Today.
Despite the odds, consumers have
consistenly voted for sustainable agriculture with their
pocketbooks, making organic the fastest-growing sector in
agriculture by far. Visit our Go
Organic page for help finding locally-produced organic
foods in your area. Sign
up for Toxic Free NC's Action
Alerts and Newsletters and
get yourself in the loop. For ideas and help getting your
school, church, or grocery store to buy more locally-grown
organic foods, please don't hesitate to contact Billie Karel,
Program Coordinator, at (919) 833-1123, or by
email.
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