Book Review: Organic, Inc.

I read this book about a month ago and need to blog about it, now that I am onto my next personal reading assignment. It's by Samuel Fromartz, who has a background in business journalism, mainly writing about start-up companies. His background in this area provides a great jumping-off point for the book in general, because Organic, Inc. is essentially about the business aspect of the organic foods movement.

One thing I enjoyed most about this book was that it often describes farms and companies that started right here in California. (We were, after all, where the organic movement first took off.) It was really cool knowing that just a couple hours' drive south of where I live, I could go see organic farms that have been around for decades, and have paved the way for many other back-to-the-land entrepreneurs. Woven in with all of the business aspects of organic agriculture is a critical study of the use of pesticides, and a comparison between pesticide-based agricultural systems and their organic nemeses.

When I finished reading this book there were tons of sticky notes protruding from the edges of the pages, marking excerpts that I wanted to think about further. The one statement that has stuck with me though is this: In West Oakland, there is ONE supermarket for 25,000 people, and 36 liquor stores—only 3 of which sell fresh produce. This is absolutely insane to me, and is so disgusting in its racial, class, and economic inequality that I find myself getting angry about it every time this fact pops into my mind. (I will write about this issue more in the next post, when I'll tell you about the plans I've hatched to combat this very damning, close-to-home problem.)

I would highly recommend this book to those who are interested in organic gardening, the organic food movement, or sustainable agriculture. Additionally, if you've been curious about the business aspects behind organic agriculture, Organic, Inc. is a must-read.

Please try looking at your local library first. If they don't have it, you can buy it used from a local bookstore or online:

Buy it from Alibris.
Buy it on Amazon.