Socially and Ecologically Responsible Agriculture Network

[Douglas Hinds <cedecor AT gmx.net>]

(Please forgive the cross-posting)

Socially and Ecologically Responsible Agriculture Network
<seranet AT lists.ibiblio.org>

Fellow SERAnet, sanet and organic-certification subscribers,

FYI: Mexico's largest association of independent farmers (in which
this writer collaborates), has decided to provide it's two and a
half million members with the means to transform their farming
operations into socially and ecologically responsible agricultural
showcases via the development of locally adapted, crop specific,
biologically intensive production systems that induce the presence
and exploit the activity of a widely diverse range of soil
microorganisms that contribute the sum of their talents toward
creating a truly sustainable, equitable and integral food chain, in
tandem with the myriad species of additional living, beneficial
participants.

Access to alternative technological packages based on well defined
biological processes will liberate farmers from the state of
dependency that keeps them tied at present to agricultural
production systems which rely on the use of patented agrochemicals
which are incompatible with the ancient -yet still not fully
understood- natural ecosystems and the needs of the organisms that
create them, which will sustain the agricultural production systems
of the future in ways that today's conventional production systems
are incapable of accomplishing, with lower costs, enhanced quality,
less contamination and greater farmer independence as the result.

A complementary facet of this historic decision is the development
of closer, more direct relationships with the consumers that eat the
crops farmers grow, especially those that purchase their food
through Consumer Co-ops and Farmer's Markets dedicated to providing
fresh, farm direct food whose sustainable, equitable and integral
character is confirmed by the market's administration. (Linking Farm
Co-ops with Consumer and food product creating Co-ops - i.e. Bakery
Co-ops, forms another important element of our overall goal).

Although locally grown food is preferable when available, the
development of local, national and international direct distribution
channels carrying exclusively sustainable, equitable products is
contemplated. To many of those involved, the shared principles and
use of approved, ecologically sane farming practices contributes a
sense of closeness that's considered as important as the physical
distance (which in any case, is no more than that of the California
products sold in Chicago), and in fact, the "most local" tropical
products available in North America - like pineapples, papayas and
mangos, which can't be grown on the USA mainland, are those grown in
Mexico. Furthermore, only tropical, subtropical, off-season and
ethnic products will be exported to areas in which they are
unavailable locally .

Mexico's Agriculture Secretariat and several universities have
expressed interest in collaborating and fellow farm organizations,
indigenous groups, co-op resource centers and both governmental and
non-governmental institutions that support sustainable development
initiatives in Mexico, the Americas and beyond will be invited to
join the effort. Inquiries regarding the possibility of your
organization's participating are welcome.

Funding is needed to put this large scale, socially and ecologically
responsible transformation into practice however - for on-farm
research, workshops, and infrastructure, for instance; and I would
be very appreciative of any suggestions made (on this list or via
private mail) regarding appropriate, potential sources of the
support required.

IMHO, the vision, commitment and leadership demonstrated by the
leaders of Mexico's principle independent (as distinct from
collective) farmers organization merits the support required for
making this historic commitment bear fruit. The decision to provide
the means for changing the way millions of farmers practice
agriculture is significant and helping this group take the next step
is in everybody's best interests.

Putting Farming Back On-track

Instead of representing a return to the past, the intention is to
understand and use the resources we already have in an intelligent,
socially and ecologically responsible manner. The vision and the
will are there to return farming to it's own biological roots, which
will resolve the antagonism that exists at present between
conventional farming and the earth's ecosystems, as well as
improving public health.

Incidentally - in addition to his other duties, the President of the
National Independent Farmers Association began serving a three year
term as a state legislator (with no re-election) in February, and a
number of initiatives favorable to sustainable, equitable and
integral development are in the works. Here too, the procurement of
the funds needed for promoting and implementing these initiatives
will be the most limiting factor of what we'll be able to accomplish
during the next three years (at which time, both his presidential and
congressional status will expire).

Lastly, with this announcement, the Socially and Ecologically
Responsible Agriculture Network (SERAnet) and la Agricultura
Socialmente y Ecologicamente Responsable en español (SERA-es),
e-mail discussion groups dedicated to turning our policy and program
development conclusions into effective action and applying them in
the field, are initiating. Those who asked to be added to the
subscribers list will now be receiving all posts to SERAnet (or
SERA-es), and all others wishing to subscribe can do so via
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/seranet> &
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/sera-es>.

In addition to focusing on how to participate and creating
opportunities for generating the resources required to consolidate
this historic transformation, a wide range of sustainable topics are
open for discussion (please see below) and all who care about
constructing a socially and ecologically responsible future society
now, are welcome to lurk or contribute to the interchange.

SERA topics, concepts and objectives scheduled for analysis and
follow-up activities:

  Alternatives to USDA Organic Certification

  GM Free Zones

  Farmland Conservation Trusts

  Socially and Ecologically Responsible Developmental Models and
  Development Polices

  Crop Specific Biologically Intensive Technological Packages

  Funding Sustainable Initiatives

  Support for Socially and Ecologically Responsible Platforms and
  Candidates

  Socially and Ecologically Responsible Outreach Programs

  Direct Farmer - Consumer Distribution Systems and other
  Socially and Ecologically Responsible Marketing Schemes

  Forming Farm Credit Unions

  Links and Coordination with other Compatible and Complementary
  Social Organizations

  Socially and Ecologically Responsible Websites

  Local Power Production and Collective Contracting

  Ecologically Sane Construction Materials and Methods

  Appropriate Farm Machinery and Hand Tools

  Combined Plant and Animal Production and Animal Powered Farming

  Collaborative, Open Pollinated Variety Development and Seed
  Exchange

  Organizing Collaborative, On-Farm and Lab Based Research Projects

  Defining Soil / Plant Microbiological and Hormonal Interactions

  Biological Processes and Natural Sources involved in Plant
  Nutrition

  Biological Pest Control

  Natural Post-harvest Quality Conserving Technologies

  Environmental and Health Risks Associated with Genetically
  Engineered Crops and Foods

I'm looking forward to your participation - see you there

Sincerely,

Douglas Hinds
SERA co-moderator

Dir Gral. - CeDeCoR, A.C.
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural, Asociacion Civil
(Center for Rural and Community Development, a Mexican non-profit
organization promoting and supporting sustainable, equitable and
integral community and rural development)

National Coordinator of Organic Production
Confederación Nacional de Propietarios Rurales
(& author of the CNPR's position papers re issues such as NAFTA & Transgenic 
Crops).

Dir. of Special Proyects
Consejo Supremo Nacional Indígena

Chair of the Organic Pineapple Working Group (subgroup)
International Society for Horticultural Science

Consultant for the  group formed by the FAO to draft a
Technical Manual on Organic Pineapple Production

States of Jalisco, Colima, San Luis Potosi,
Veracruz, Oaxaca & Tamaulipas - Mexico

Mail: Apdo. Postal No. 61
      Cd. Guzman, Jalisco
      49000 Mexico
Fax: + 52 341 414 7145 (Ask for Tone - Jalisco)
Tel: + 52 899 922 2424 (Tamaulipas)
U.S. Voice Mail  (email linked) 1 630 300 0550
U.S. Fax Mailbox (email linked) 1 630 300 0555
cedecor AT gmx.net, cedecor AT prodigy.net.mx