Q: What is the meaning of an organic frozen dinner? Is it a sign that organic is growing up, or that organic is being co-opted?
A: It's a sign that organic is a business like anything else. It's about what we eat. That's an artificial antithesis: an idealized view of consumption-where all we eat is fresh fruit right off the farm-versus a supermarket economy. But that's not paying attention to what people really do consume.
Q: Will we see the creation in the next decade of an infrastructure that can support an industry 10 times the size organic is now-say, 20 percent of the U.S. food supply?
A: I think those things are happening. We'll make sure this gets done right and done in a way that is really sustainable. That enables farmers to have a reasonable return on their investment. That maintains the kind of high level of standards and consumer and environmental benefit that goes along with organic farming.
The conversation isn't really about "going organic"-it should be about how we change the world for the better, how we deal with the world as we currently see it. The point is not to overuse chemicals. That's a key problem with conventional agriculture. Nobody benefits from the overuse, except the chemical suppliers. Farmers in general use agrochemicals because they don't have viable alternatives, or viable markets, that would allow them to avoid them. Organic is part of the solution, but it can't be the solution. Everyone has a role in improving our environmental performance, and an obligation to improve it. And that's what's critical: the improvement. Whether we get to 100 percent organic is not the issue. It's whether we become a sustainable society.
Vocabulary Focus
antithesis (n)--- the exact opposite
viable (adj)--- able to work as intended or able to succeed
Specialized Terms
sustainable (adj)--- 持续性的；能维持的 able to continue over a period of time
agrochemical (n)--- 农用化学品
a chemical used in agricultural production, such as a fertilizer or pesticide
有机农业的实情 （2）
吉恩.卡恩是美国第一批有机食品公司之一的创办人，目前也是通用面粉公司持续发展部门副总裁。以下是他的访谈记录。
余国甄 译
问:什么是有机冷冻晚餐?这是否象征有机产业日益茁壮，还是有机食品被整个食品业同化了呢?
答:这是个迹象。说明了有机业的本质还是商业，有机业与我们吃的是什么息息相关。有一种人为的对照法：一种是被理想化的消费模式，就是所有我们吃的都是农场直接送来的新鲜水果，与其形成对比的是超级市场经济。但那样对照就没有注意到人们真正消费些什么。
问:我们在未来的10年内，有没有可能看到一种基础建设，能够支持比现在有机产品规模大10倍的产业，像20 %的美国粮食供应量的规模?
答:我认为这些现象正在发生。我们会确保一切做法无误，并真的能持续发展，使农民得到合理的投资回报，且会维持产品的高品质及有机农业为消费者和生态环境带来的好处。
我们讨论的重点其实不在于"走向有机化"，而应该是关于我们怎样把世界变得更好，以及如何面对当前所见的世界。重点在于不要过度使用化学制品。那是传统农业的一个关键问题。除了化学制品供应商以外，没有人受益于过度使用化学制品。农民一般使用农用化学品，因为他们没有得以避免使用这些化学物的其他可行选择或市场。有机农业是解决方案的一部分，但不可能是唯一解决之道。每个人在改善我们的环保成果都有责任，也都有义务。"改善现状"才是最重要的。我们能否过百分之百的有机生活不是重点，重点是我们的社会能否持续发展下去。
