Organic Heroes

Amigo Bob Cantisano

Shaping our Organic Landscape

Amigo Bob Cantisano is one of the most influential figures in California organic agriculture. He’s been farming organically since 1974. He helped to start California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), the Ecological Farming Association’s annual conference, and Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Through his work as an ag adviser, he has worked with hundreds of farmers on building their soil fertility, transitioning to organics, and using more environmentally friendly farming practices.

Amigo Bob named a few of his organic heroes, and we, I must confess, didn’t know who some of them were. So, we did a little research…these heroes may inspire you too.

Q: You have been involved in the organic movement from the beginning and have shaped it into the thriving movement it is today. What are some of your proudest achievements?

A: Since 1970 I have been involved in many aspects of the organic movement including co-founding We The People Natural Foods Co-op, Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, California Certified Organic Farmers, the Ecological Farming Conference and Association, Aeolia Organics, Organic Ag Advisors, the Felix Gillet Institute and other social change projects. I have farmed lots of crops since the midseventies, and currently operate Heaven and Earth Farm on the San Juan Ridge of Nevada County, CA. I am proud of all my work, but perhaps most satisfied from my efforts to stimulate young people into gardening and farming.

Q: You visit lots of farms and hear about various issues that farmers face. What are some of the challenges and innovative solutions?

A:Farming is ever changing, complex and difficult. Every farmer has to be very creative to survive and thrive. Pest and weed complexes continue to evolve, nature is always messing with you, labor is an issue, and profitability is increasingly challenging. My work is to help growers create non-toxic, ecologically stable, economically viable techniques that enable us to grow better food, increase profitability and provide ecological enhancement. I am a problem solver, grassroots researcher and lay farm psychologist. I have invented 16 techniques and products that are now widely used in agriculture, which makes me quite proud.

Q: You have been involved in the organic movement from the beginning and have shaped it into the thriving movement it is today. What are some of your proudest achievements?

A: Since 1970 I have been involved in many aspects of the organic movement including co-founding We The People Natural Foods Co-op, Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, California Certified Organic Farmers, the Ecological Farming Conference and Association, Aeolia Organics, Organic Ag Advisors, the Felix Gillet Institute and other social change projects. I have farmed lots of crops since the midseventies, and currently operate Heaven and Earth Farm on the San Juan Ridge of Nevada County, CA. I am proud of all my work, but perhaps most satisfied from my efforts to stimulate young people into gardening and farming.

Q: How does being a farmer yourself help you help other farmers?

A: I can relate with all of the issues my friends deal with, as they often occur on my farm as well. I use my farm to invent and trial new ideas that, if successful, I can encourage my clients to use. I do my best to provide advice that is cost effective and ecological, as that is a major challenge for my small farm. Being a farmer keeps me grounded in farming reality, so I provide practical help to my clients.

Q:Do you think that organic farming can feed the world?

A: Yes I do, but for that to happen we need to continue to improve the productivity of organic farms and consumers must continue to subsidize our efforts by their support of our production. The research community needs to get serious about organic solutions to everyday problems that all farms face. Farmers need to be educated about the technical realities of farming without chemicals. There is a huge need for more education.

Q: As big business gets more involved and interested in organics, will its label become less meaningful?

A:I think it is a great thing that big business is getting into organics in a bigger way. If only one percent of the land of the U.S. is organic, what real progress have we made? We are just an island in a sea of poison. We need all agriculture, big and small on a path of sustainability. All farmers and businesses have vested interests—the big ones just have more resources. It’s up to consumers and the long time members of the organic farm community to remain vigilant, speak up and fight for what’s right. Shine a light on darkness; big business is very amenable to the power of the consumer.

Q:How do you respond to people who say that organic food is too expensive?

A: It is too expensive only if you ignore that conventional food is too cheap. We pay one of the lowest percentages of our income on food anywhere in the world. Conventional farming is completely unsustainable: environmental contamination, food quality and toxicity, labor exploitation, energy consumption and reliance on petroleum byproducts. Conventional farming is so unsustainable that California lost a record amount of farm land in the last five years. Farmers would not be selling land, but conventional farming is not profitable, despite the many billions of subsidies we provide to it. How about the expense of cancer, lower IQ’s, diabetes and other maladies at least in part caused by the consumption of chemically grown food? Cleaning up rivers due to pesticides? Soil erosion? Exploited Hispanic farmworkers? Farm kids with skyrocketing childhood cancers? Conventional food is WAY too cheap on the surface, and WAY too expensive when you look closely.

Q: At the same time we have seen the organic movement grow exponentially, it seems like Monsanto and corporate ag are always a step ahead. How much power do you think individual shoppers can have over food policy and the powers that be? What can be done on the grassroots level?

A: Consumers have the ultimate power. Your purchases drive the entire food system. DEMAND labeling of all GMO foods. DEMAND full disclosure of all farming practices of conventional farming (organic farmers have full disclosure, and we are a heck of a lot cleaner than conventional). Imagine if every product listed all the poisons used on it? It might change peoples’ eating habits.

Q: What are some of the most important things consumers can do to create a more sustainable food system?

A: Consumers need to continue to buy from local farmers, organic when possible. Support larger organic businesses that show true efforts toward addressing social and environmental a issues, not just the cheapest organic price. Grow your own food, even if it’s only sprouts. Join a community garden. Get educated about food issues. Support co-ops.