CEC: CEC News

Very little of the food consumed in the Houston area is produced nearby. Only pecans, rice, peanuts, soybeans, beef, and perhaps seafood are produced in sufficient quantities in the eight-county region to satisfy demand.[i]

More than 90 percent of the food eaten in the Gulf Coast region comes from elsewhere, and a large proportion comes from outside the state or nation.[ii] Our remote, large-scale agricultural production and distribution system carries with it a variety of environmental consequences, including use of fossil fuels - with their attendant pollution - for processing, refrigeration, and transport. Wasteful packaging is also a problem. Remote agriculture has economic impacts, too: As food is imported into the region, money and jobs are exported.

The environmental consequences of conventional agriculture include pollution of lakes and streams by fertilizers and pesticides; habitat destruction; soil erosion; depletion of water resources; and destruction of soil quality through overgrazing, over-tilling, and monocropping.

Many conventional fruit and vegetable growers choose produce varieties based on ability to last long periods after harvest, transport well, and look attractive to consumers. These qualities are often preferred over flavor and nutritional value. Additional nutrients are also lost as food is processed and stored for long periods.

A 1998 study by the Food and Drug Administration found pesticide residues in 35 percent of the food tested. Although exact health effects are difficult to determine, scientists have linked pesticides to many types of cancer, nervous system disorders, genetic mutations, and immune system dysfunction. [iii]

Although the Ship Channel and Galveston Bay are considerably cleaner now than they were decades ago, contamination of fish and seafood is still an issue. The Texas Department of Health (TDH) maintains a health advisory concerning fish caught in the Ship Channel and upper Galveston Bay.[iv] It warns adults not to eat more than 8 ounces of any species of fish or crabs per month from the Ship Channel northwest of the Lynchburg Ferry Crossing or from the San Jacinto River below the Highway 90 bridge due to elevated levels of chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, and dioxins; women of childbearing age and children should not eat any fish or crabs from these areas. TDH recommends these same consumption limits for catfish and crabs from upper Galvston Bay; fish and seafood from lower Galveston Bay has been deemed safe. TDH also recently lifted a 1993 consumption advisory concerning Clear Creek. Despite these warnings, fishing remains a popular recreational activity and some rely on it for food.

Genetic engineering transfers genes from one species to another in order to transfer beneficial traits. For example, Monsanto spliced a gene for herbicide resistance into soybeans, creating a crop that is not affected by Roundup, a powerful weed killer.

Advocates for genetically altered crops claim they increase productivity, reduce the need for pesticides, and can improve the nutritional value of food. Critics deny these benefits and say that the risks are far too great. Introducing new genes into plants may cause unanticipated effects. Genetically altered food could contain unknown toxins or allergens, have reduced nutritional value, or spread antibiotic resistance. The ecological consequences are uncertain as well. Pollen, insects, microbes, and wildlife could spread genetic contamination. Unwanted effects may include the creation of herbicide-resistant weeds and new pathogens, reduced efficacy of organic insecticides, and loss of biodiversity.

Currently, two-thirds of the processed food in the United States is estimated to contain a genetically engineered product.[v] These foods are not labeled as such. The only way to avoid consuming them is to buy organic products.

Although there is no local environmental organization dedicated to genetically engineered food, the CEC will partner with the Institute of Advanced Interdisciplinary Research to produce a one-day seminar on “Biotechnology: Opportunities and Concerns” in early 2002.

Producing animal products is much less resource efficient than producing plant products. Some estimate that it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce a pound of beef and up to 6 pounds for a pound of turkey or eggs. Animal agriculture also uses substantially more water than plant agriculture. Many environmentalists point to the air, soil, and water impacts of confined animal feeding operations and large-scale poultry farms, and many are concerned with the multiple hazards faced by often immigrant laborers in the large slaughterhouses.

A decade ago, organic gardening in the Houston area was limited to a very few individuals. Now, Urban Harvest, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ecologically sustainable land use and horticulture, estimates that there are more than 500 organic home food growers, 10 to 20 organic market farmers, and a network of 95 community gardens in the region. The group has also built the infrastructure needed to train people to grow food sustainably.

With a little know-how and a very small piece of land, area residents can grow a large percentage of their own high-quality, organic produce inexpensively. Gardening also provides exercise, promotes a healthy diet, and protects the environment.

Buying locally grown, seasonal produce reduces the resources needed for transportation, storage, and packaging of food. Look for “Go Texan” stickers on produce, which ensures that it was grown in the state.

Most grocery stores now offer at least some fruits, vegetables, and animal products produced without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. Keep in mind, however, that organically grown food transported from far away may be better for your health but also may cause more environmental problems than conventional produce raised in the region.

Consuming fewer animal products lowers the health, environmental, and social impacts of agriculture.

Community gardens are collaborative projects that use common space to create positive environmental, economic, and social impacts in neighborhoods. Community members share in the maintenance and rewards of the garden. For more information, contact Urban Harvest at 713-880-5540.

[i] Houston Environmental Foresight Program - Phase 1. Report of the Socioeconomic Subpanel. Houston Advanced Research Center at the Center for Global Studies, 1995.

[ii] Urban Harvest.

[iii] Randall, Bob. Year Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers for Metro Houston. Urban Harvest, 2000, page.

[iv] Galveston Bay Estuary Program, Seafood Safety News, http://gbep.tamug.tamu.edu.

[v] Sierra Club, www.sierraclub.org/biotech/pamphlet.asp.

This section was taken from the State of the Environment 2002, the introduction to the 2002 Environmental Resource Guide, produced by the Citizens' Environmental Coalition (CEC). The above statements do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CEC, its trustees, officers, or staff.

Agriculture and Food