Juliana, one of the Martinez sisters, holding baby Angel Gabriel with PAN’s “Pesticide Free Zone” yard sign. Credit: Stephenie Hendricks

The Martinez “Organic Ten”—Practical Visionaries

Nestled in the rolling valley of Freedom, California—midway between Santa Cruz and Monterey—Martinez Farms is a living lesson in farming and living sustainably. Eight brothers and two sisters work together managing production, human resources, sales, marketing and distribution of top-notch organic produce. [1]

We present here some of the views of Esteban Martinez, the marketing manager for the “organic ten” siblings, on farming responsibly, alongside PAN's assessment of the costs of industrial agriculture and the benefits of a fair and lasting transition to sustainable agriculture.

“We farm organically because that is what our parents learned and did. When our father began working in conventional agriculture, he became ill because of the chemicals they were using and he decided, after years of working on conventional farms, no more! And he began to work on organic farms.”

Strawberries are the primary crop of the Martinez Farms, specializing in varieties like Pajaro and Seascape that thrive in the coastal climate. In production from April through December, Martinez Farms also grows English, snow and sugar snap peas, green beans, Pasilla chilies and zucchini, enabling them to provide thirty year round jobs to local workers. Their plans for the future include securing land for worker housing and providing health insurance.

A California Certified Organic Farm, theMartinez family does not use toxic pesticides, including fumigants, to grow their strawberries. Fumigants, a class of highly toxic pesticidal gases, are used to sterilize soil before planting crops like strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, potatoes, and tobacco.

“Everything, definitely everything [is bad about using fumigants]. They hurt us, we kill ourselves and we destroy our own planet, which we should be cherishing.”

Industrial strawberry producers in California continue to use dangerous fumigants like methyl bromide—which is a stratospheric ozone depletor and a human developmental toxicant. Organic growers like Martinez Farms build and rely on fertile soil; in comparison, nothing alive is left in soil that has been fumigated. [2]

For up to several weeks after application, fumigants pose poisoning risks to workers and nearby communities. Long-lasting health effects of fumigant poisoning include chronic bronchitis, damaged eyesight, and asthma. Ecological effects include depletion of soil nutrients, wildlife damage and decreased biodiversity. [3]

“ I would tell producers that they don't need to use synthetic chemicals. Our ancestors did not use these chemicals. If you use them for economic reasons, you are paying to kill your own selves. And you don't need them! The land produces, once we know how to cultivate it. I invite other farmers to visit our farm and show them how we cultivate produce, so that people can see for themselves that toxic chemicals are not necessary for farming.”

It is practical, profitable and healthy to grow strawberries and other crops without fumigants and other dangerous pesticides.

“Our yield varies each year, depending on the variety of strawberries and the weather— from approximately 4,000 to 5,000 cases, maximum of 6,000, for organic strawberries. Conventional methods would produce up to 8,000 cases. There is not much difference though [to our profits] if you consider our savings by not paying for toxic chemicals.

“All farmers, everyone that grows some type of product, contribute to the economy of this state and of this country because we provide jobs for other people. As organic farmers, we not only provide economically, but we also maintain the health of our own people and our families. We prevent illness and reduce expenses for the state and country governments.”

Recent studies have shown that organic farming can produce net profits similar to those of the Martinez Farms, with yields comparable to chemically dependent farming. However the true costs of industrial agriculture are vastly greater than those of organic production. Negative “externalities” associated with industrial agriculture are passed on to farmers, the environment, consumers and everyone else. These include impacts on human health due to pesticide exposure (expenditure on medicines, lost productivity and shortened life), an ecological toll on the environment, and costs of fossil fuels used in producing and transporting pesticides and fertilizers. [4]

“I have personally seen [the negative impacts of farming with pesticides], especially in our Latino communities that come to work to this country. In a few years the majority [of farm laborers] get sick, and many return to their country and never come back. They might not know why, but in reality it's the chemicals that they use in this country”.

“ I have seen children with birth defects that I am sure are due to the chemicals…Their parents have been working in the field. I have seen how they spray, and the types of chemicals used. Maybe they can't notice it and don't even feel anything, but one way or another their clothes are contaminated with chemicals and they bring them home and everyone is in contact with them. The chemicals are also in their food.”

There is increasing evidence from medical research documenting what Esteban Martinez has seen: exposure to pesticides is much higher among the children and families of farmers and farmworkers, as are pesticide-related illnesses. [5]

“ My vision for the future? I have three boys and a precious girl. I hope that they grow up seeing and enjoying the natural world, breathing clean air.”

“ We are just starting this battle. I believe that together, we will make the difference. Perhaps we won't save the world, but we'll make it a little bit better.”

“ I would like to ask people to give us a chance—give organic farmers a chance— we are the salvation for the future. We don't want to be rich—but we want to live well. We want to be able to share with the world our experiences, our life. Everyone is invited to our farm to see how we farm without toxic fumigants.”

PANNA staff members Megan Ender, Stephenie Hendricks and Leticia Tirrez visited Martinez Farms to meet the family, and produced this story with contributions from Laura Baldez, Medha Chandra, Tina Cosentino, Kathryn Gilje and Steve Scholl-Buckwald. More information on the Elkhorn Slough Foundation is available at http://www.elkhornslough.org.

References

1. See http://www.martinezfarms.net/home.htm.

2. See the spring issue of PANNA Magazine for articles more about for articles more abou- ton fumigants and alternatives: http://www.panna.org/magazine/spring2006/actionFumigants.html.

3. For fumigant campaign resources for see http://panna.org/campaigns/driftFumigants.html.

4. Reeves, M. et al. 2002. Fields of Poison. PANNA and Californians for Pesticide Reform. Available at http://www.panna.org/campaigns/docsWorkers/CPRreport.pdf.

5. Tegtmeir, E. and Duffy, M. 2004. External Costs of Agricultural Production in the United States, International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, Vol.2, No.1, 1-20; and Pimentel, D. et al., 1992. Environmental and economic costs of pesticide use. Bioscience, 42 (10), 750-760.