Don’t Panic! Grow Vegan-Organic!

It may be surprising in a vegan context to talk about vegan agriculture.  Surely the vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and beans we enjoy are vegan?  Yes and no: both conventional and organic agriculture often accept inputs straight out of the animal farm – in the form of manure, blood meal, bone meal or fish meal, which are scattered over or dug into the soil to feed the crops.

Non-organic farmers are free to add to their fields whatever fertilizer sources they find appropriate, including petrochemical-based synthetic fertilizers, organic fertilizers such as cow, chicken or horse manure, and even human wastes in the form of treated sewage sludge.  Certified Organic farmers in Canada are permitted to use blood meal, bone meal, ash from burned animals, feather meal, fish products, and many other by-products of animal industries.^[1]

Why is all this a problem for vegans? 

First, veganism involves opting out of all forms of animal use and exploitation.  Use of animal inputs in agriculture does not support this goal.  Since we can live without the exploitation of animals, we should prove that our food crops can be sustained without them, too. 

Second, the use of animal inputs may be a form of subsidy for factory farms, since the animal wastes which must be discarded are removed or even bought by farmers wishing to add nutrients and trace elements to their soil. 

Third, applying products such as blood meal is objectionable work for the farm hands, flies in the face of the morals of the vegan farmer, and can lead to pathogen introduction into waterways and onto the plants themselves. 

The elements that animal byproducts provide can be found more safely and humanely in ingredients such as tree leaves, hay, comfrey, or seaweed.  Animal products need not be used on the farm.  Incorporating the principles of veganism into agriculture means growing a bio-ethic of respect, and pioneering this path is the work of the vegan-organic farmer.

“Vegan-organics is any system of cultivation that avoids artificial chemicals and sprays, livestock manures and animal remains from slaughter houses. Alternatively, fertility is maintained by vegetable compost, green manures, crop rotation, mulches, and any other method that is sustainable, ecologically viable and not dependent upon animal exploitation. This will ensure long term fertility, and wholesome food for this and future generations,” is the word from the Vegan Organic Network in Britain.  Farmers there and around the world who meet the standards established by VON can apply for Stockfree Organic certification, which denotes to consumers that, in addition to organic certification, no animal products are used to grow crops, and animals are not used or exploited in the farm system.  Rather, farmers actively protect and encourage native plant and animal ecosystems to flourish throughout their fields, protect mature trees and waterways, and nourish the soil to insure healthful, vibrant yields.  

And across the pond, activists with the Veganic Agriculture Network have established an online network to promote thoroughly plant-based farming and gardening in North America.  This network has tremendous potential, but at the moment is only able to list six farms.  So much more work needs to be done before vegan-organic produce is available to most regions.

But in the meantime, many local organic farms may currently be using vegan-friendly practices. Here in Victoria, we can check the Lifecycles Good Food Directory^[2] and the Canadian Organic Growers directory to find organic farms across Canada.^[3] Wherever you live, visit one of the farmer’s markets in town to inquire (and to buy some yummy produce).  Buying organic and local helps to preserve habitat, soils, and waterways and to reduce pollution, even if the farmer is using animal inputs at the moment. 

Further, if you are concerned about your food – grow it yourself!  Even the smallest pot or balcony planter can yield some fresh food - locally-grown, organic and animal-free!  Don’t panic – grow organic.  Vegan-organic, that is!

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