For 36 years, the EcoFarm Conference has brought together the best people in ecological agriculture to inspire, challenge, and uplift us with a positive ecological approach to the future of agriculture and the food system. This first evening of EcoFarm we are presenting an analysis of the conventional agriculture system. In order to change the status quo, we must be aware of the scope and depth of the current challenges we face in the fields, in our communities, and on the planet from mainstream agriculture’s dependence on toxic chemicals and inadequately tested genetically engineered crops. Equipped with this ever more comprehensive understanding, together we will craft a positive outcome that supports our vision of a food and farming system that cares for people and cares for the earth. Invocation – John Roulac, Author, Founder of GMO Inside, Founder and CEO of Nutiva, Richmond, CA Ecological agriculture is at a crossroads. Today organic is considered a healthy food choice and accounts for a growing percentage of food sales. Reliable weather and available water are now very uncertain. As climate change introduces new dangers, it also brings the role of soil to front and center. From Sir Albert Howard and Robert Rodale to Rudolf Steiner, our leaders have urged us to honor the soil. As the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere approaches 450 ppm (parts per million), let us understand that the soil can save us. Eco-agriculture can help reverse climate change. We need the renewed tradition of reverence for the soil among small farmers as well as in production agriculture. How will we answer the call? Genetic Engineering: Failed Promises, Flawed Science – Don Huber, PhD Professor Emeritus, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Dr. Huber spent his career as a researcher in the conventional agriculture system, specializing in plant nutrition and disease pre- vention. His research led to the discovery of novel soil organisms associated with genetically engineered corn and soybeans. Further research linked these organisms with illness in animals that were fed these crops. Glyphosate and the crops themselves seemed implicated. These findings called into question the safety of genetically engineered crops and the widespread use of glyphosate. This led Dr. Huber, even as he neared retirement, to respond to the moral imperative to make his findings known in a now-famous letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Dr. Huber will share the facts around his findings that reveal the failed promises and flawed science of genetic engineering in agriculture and the dangers of glyphosate, now recog- nized by the World Health Organization as a possible carcinogen but formerly advertised as an “ecologically safe” herbicide. Pesticide Residues in Food and Children’s Health – Andre Leu IFOAM Organics International, Queensland, Australia Scientific research shows that our children are born polluted by pesticides and other toxic chemicals. A large body of published peer-reviewed research shows that pesticide exposure in unborn and growing children is linked to numerous diseases and health problems. Children are most vulnerable to the harm caused by chemicals. Of particular concern is that the fetus and the newborn possess lower concentrations of protective serum proteins than adults. A major consequence of this vulnerabili- ty is greater susceptibility to cancers and to developmental neurotoxicity, where pesticide damages the developing nervous system. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, too, can significantly alter the development of children’s tissues, organs, and metabolic systems. This evidence calls for strategies to eliminate these harmful substances from the food and farming system.

• published: 18 Feb 2016
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