As Americans buy organic, the products are increasingly removed from the traditional organic ideal: produce that is not only free of chemicals and pesticides but also grown locally on small farms in a way that protects the environment. The explosive growth in the commercial cultivation of organic tomatoes in Mexico, for example, is putting stress on the water table. In some areas, wells have run dry this year, meaning small subsistence farmers cannot grow crops. Then, so-called organic tomatoes end up in an energy-intensive global distribution chain that takes them as far as New York, producing significant emissions that contribute to global warming.
Read more in the New York Times.
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