Food Production

Agriculture is an important part of the economy of the Houston/Galveston region, but much of the agricultural production in the area is cotton, timber, and nursery crops. The region produces plenty of pecans, rice, peanuts, soybeans, beef, watermelon, and seafood to satisfy local demand, but most of what we eat is imported. Our grocery stores are stocked with food not only from other parts of Texas, but also from across the United States, Mexico, and the world.

However, according to Bob Randall, Ph.D., executive director of Urban Harvest, it is economics that dictates where our food comes from, not the fact that food cannot be grown here.

Our area is very suitable for growing a large variety of food – both animal and vegetable. The average annual rainfall in Harris County is 48.19 inches, and the mean temperature is 69.1 degrees. The growing season is 300 days.

The community of Satsuma was named for the orange groves that were planted there, and Strawberry Road in Pasadena once ran past strawberry fields. Even now, Harris had more than 300,000 acres of farmland in 2002 – nearly half in crops and half in pasture.

Randall notes that cheap land and cheap labor allow food from outside the area to be shipped here at lower prices than locally grown food can be produced. However, the price for the food does not reflect its true cost.

Our remote, large-scale agricultural production and distribution system has a variety of environmental consequences and economic impacts. As food is imported, revenues and jobs are exported. Because of global trade agreements, we are importing produce grown on farms in countries that allow the use of pesticides banned in the United States. The environmental consequences of factory farming include pollution of waterways from fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste; habitat destruction; soil erosion; depletion of water resources; and destruction of soil quality.

In addition, factory-farmed produce is bred for a variety of qualities such as uniform fruit size, simultaneous ripening, attractiveness, and ability to ship and store well. Nutrition and taste are subordinate. So, even fresh fruit and vegetables often don’t taste very good and aren’t very nutritious. The environmental costs of transportation and the packaging issues involved in getting food to markets are significant.

Many consumers want to buy organic food and other products because of health and ecological concerns. Many grocery stores now offer some fresh and frozen foods produced without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. Even so, while organically grown food transported from far away might be healthier, the environmental issues involved in getting such food to the grocery store are the same as for non-organic products.

Locally grown, organic food has become substantially more available in Harris County in the past year. Central City Co-op, which provides organically grown fresh produce, some from local farmers, now has distribution points across the county. There are three or four farmers markets that sell locally grown, organic produce, eggs, and cheese. These operate in the central city area, but the counties surrounding Harris County do not yet have established farmers markets.

Urban Harvest is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ecologically sustainable land use and horticulture. It has a school gardens program that provides hands-on learning at ten area elementary schools and also consults with schools about the design and construction of new gardens and curricula. Urban Harvest also has a horticultural therapy program and sponsors a network of about 100 community gardens.

The group conducts regular classes for the public on how to grow food sustainably and has also trained people how to be sustainable growers. Randall’s book Year-Round Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers forMetro Houston is based on decades of research. It offers detailed instructions for growing and harvesting many different kinds of produce and also lists the best variety of each plant to grow, which is essential to a successful organic growing project. In January, at its annual fruit tree sale, Urban Harvest sold more than $50,000 worth of fruit trees in a single day.

Although the outlook for local food production is optimistic, there are several areas of concern.

Climate change worries local food growers. Houston’s warming winters have made predicting suitable varieties of plants difficult. In addition, Randall is also concerned about loss of forests in the area because forests contribute to rain.

Changes to the federal laws are expected to weaken the Texas law affecting organic certification and weaken federal organic standards.

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is expected to expand animal identification programs and practices to include all livestock species and poultry and all facilities that keep such animals. The program will have premises identification, animal identification, and animal tracking.

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