Deck 15: Organics, Brian K Obach

Question 1

1) Which of the following is true regarding organic food products today?

A) Any product grown using natural methods can be sold as organic.
B) Only products certified through the National Organic Program can be sold as organic.
C) Only products grown on small farm can be sold as organic.
D) Organic products can only be sold at farmers markets.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

2) The movement for organic agriculture emerged in response to

A) environmental and social problems resulting from the industrialization of agriculture.
B) free trade agreements that resulted in peasants losing access to the land.
C) efforts to help small farmers in the Global South.
D) consumer demands for food that is more sustainable and healthier.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

3) Established agricultural scientists and nutritionists originally considered organic farming to be

A) an important alternative to industrial agriculture.
B) an important innovation that could lead to healthier diets.
C) backwards and unscientific.
D) an interesting idea that needed more research.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

4) The back-to-the land movement was characterized by

A) industrial farmers going back to more natural farming practices.
B) members of the counterculture who established communal farms that used organic practices.
C) children of farming families returning to the farm to take over for their parents.
D) the establishment of urban gardens in unused spaces.

Question 5

5) In the 1970s, when the idea of organic certification first emerged,

A) the U.S. government developed the National Organic Program.
B) multiple regional organic certification organizations were established, but they all used the same organic standard.
C) multiple regional organic certification organizations were established, with each having their own unique standards for organic agriculture.
D) organic farmers rejected certification.

Question 6

6) Which of the following was a driver for the creation of a national organic standard?

A) Increased demand for organic processed products that required multiple ingredients
B) Non-organic farmers selling their products as organic
C) Increased consumer demand for organic products in the face of food scares
D) All of the above

Question 7

7)Which of the following statements is true?

A) All organic farmers and advocates supported the establishment of a national organic standard.
B) All organic farmers and advocates were opposed to the establishment of a national organic standard.
C) Organic farmers and advocates were divided on the establishment of a national organic standard.
D) Agribusiness corporations were the initial proponents of a national organic standard in an attempt to undermine organic agriculture.

Question 8

8) The federal legislation passed in 1990 that provided general guidelines for how the organic system was to operate was

A) the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), which placed the National Organic Program under the authority of the USDA.
B) the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which promulgated regulations for the use of genetically modified organisms in organic food.
C) the Organic Foods Act (OFA) which then set out specific, enforceable rules for nationwide continuity of the use of the "Certified Organic" seal on products.
D) the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), which placed the National Organic Program under the authority of the FDA.

Question 9

9) Organic farmers and activists reacted to the first set of organic rules proposed by the USDA with

A) happiness and acceptance.
B) disbelief and protest.
C) resignation.
D) confidence in the USDA to develop credible organic rules.

Question 10

10) The organic community protested the inclusion of _______ in the first draft of the USDA's proposed organic rules.

A) food irradiation
B) allowance of genetically modified organisms
C) the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer
D) All of the above

Question 11

11) Once the national organic program went into effect, a conflict over _______ soon emerged.

A) the use of synthetic ingredients
B) the use of genetically modified crops
C) the use of pesticides
D) whether large farms could be organic

Question 12

12) Once the NOP went into effect,

A) the new rules made organic farming so expensive that most organic farmers had to covert to conventional farming practices.
B) agribusiness launched a campaign to publicly discredit the program.
C) agribusiness became significantly involved in the organic food market.
D) there was an explosion of independent organic food business, such as coops and processors.

Question 13

13) The idea of the conventionalization of organic agriculture refers to

A) the weakening of organic agriculture from a holistic practice to a series of input requirements with the increased entry of agribusiness into the organic sector.
B) the shift of conventional agriculture towards organic practices following the implementation of the National Organic Program.
C) the growing presence of organic foods in large supermarkets, such as Walmart.
D) the buying up of small independent organic food processors by large agribusiness corporations.

Question 14

14) The majority of organic foods are sold in

A) supermarkets and big-box stores.
B) farmers markets.
C) restaurants.
D) alternative retail markets, such as coops.

Question 15

15) Supporters of Big Organic see _______ as a benefit of large corporations entering the organic sector.

A) more stringent organic farming practices
B) the promotion of small organic farmers
C) greater affordability of organic products
D) All of the above

Question 16

16) Many organic activists remain focused on the National Organic Program in order to

A) ensure that the rules reflect the traditional organic ideals.
B) modify the rules, as some have proven to be too stringent and resulted farmers giving up on organic agriculture.
C) increase the market share of organic foods through recruiting more of agribusiness to the sector.
D) increase crop yields among organic farmers.

Question 17

17) Which of the following is included in the rules of the National Organic Program?

A) Social justice provisions
B) Restrictions on the use of chemical inputs
C) Rules on farmer worker conditions
D) Price guarantees for organic farmers

Question 18

18) Alternative certification programs, such as Certified Naturally Grown, seek to

A) be "beyond organic" and promote a more ecologically sound form of agriculture than what organic has become.
B) offer a "half-organic option" between conventional and organic agriculture
C) promote organic farming in indoor aquaponic systems.
D) greenwash conventional agriculture to make it look environmentally sustainable.

Question 19

19) Sustainable agriculture activism that focuses on reconnecting to the land, to community, seasonal eating, and farm-to-table restaurants

A) supports the conventionalization of organic agriculture.
B) is becoming outdated with the growth of urban centers and large box stores.
C) is found in the local food movement.
D) is only found in rural areas.

Question 20

20) Consumers can purchase a seasonal "share" in a local farm wherein they pay one price at the start of the season and then pick up a package of fresh produce on a weekly basis is called

A) home delivery service.
B) alternative agriculture.
C) community supported agriculture.
D) farmers markets.

Question 21

1. Explain the "conventionalization" of organic agriculture and provide an example of it.

Question 22

2. What was the impetus for establishing a national governmental organic standard?

Question 23

3. Explain the term "Big Organic."

Question 24

1. Write an essay on how organic agriculture has gone from a movement to a business. In your answer examine the origins of the organic movement and the changes that have occurred with the National Organic Program and the entry of agribusiness into organics. Then discuss the benefits and drawbacks of these changes in organic agriculture.

Question 25

2. A big debate regarding organic agriculture today is the effects of conventionalization. Write an essay that examines what is meant by the conventionalization of organic agriculture and then discusses its benefits. Finally, discuss its drawbacks.