Recently in Daily Grist we reported how locally grown foods are catching on at college dining halls.
Now wouldn’t it be nice if the students knew the in’s and out’s of how that food was produced? Well, they may get their chance, as several universities are offering (or are considering offering) organic-farming majors.
But as KATU 2 in Portland, Ore., reports:
… starting up such a major can carry an implicit critique of traditional programs, said Matt Liebman, director of the graduate program in sustainable agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames.
“It implies that everyone else is non-sustainable, and they find that fairly threatening,” Liebman said. “It can imply a critique of traditional agriculture, and its effects on the environment, or farm size.”
Kinda like saying that slapping on non-GMO labels implies that there is something wrong with genetically modified foods.
Now, the question is, will organic-farming majors think that they are morally superior?