Small Farmers are Disappearing.
Less than 2 percent of America’s farms account for over half of crop sales.
What does this mean? Huge monoculture conglomerates are taking over the food industry.
It also means that we should try and buy organic (even largescale organic food is worth buying and supporting even though they may not be a stringent with their methods as smaller operations) and frequent local farmers’ markets and shops. Supporting small, local organic farms is good for the community, good for soil, good for healthy eating.
Factory farming is creating a huge monoculturistic crop monopoly. The loss of variety, nutrition and ariable lands is growing by leaps and bounds due to GMO seeds, toxic fertilizer and chemical runoff and soil degradation.
The top four grocers in 2005 accounted for 36 percent of sales, up from 16 percent in 1982. The Big Four now are: Wal-Mart (WMT), Kroger (KR), Supervalu (SVU) and Safeway (SWY).
For every dollar spent on food, less than 20 cents goes to the farmer who produced it. That’s down from 30 cents in 1980.
Encourage your local grocery stores, including the stores above, to carry organic foods. Your health is in your hands, and the state of our agriculture system must be replenished and nurtured carefully.
Source:
Food Industry In Fewer Hands
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