Sarojeni V. Rengam, at Pesticide Action Network, has called it the most toxic herbicide marketed globally since WWII. 

Guangdong, The Canton Province, is China’s richest province and the most populated, with 79 million people.  Shnehnz is the economic capital with a heavy consumption of vegitables in traditional cuisine.

According to the manufacturer, Syngenta, Paraquat is on the rise. ”In Guandong region, one million hectares of high quality vegetables are grown, often with up to eight crops harvested in each field every year.  Obviously, this can only be achieved with a rapid turnaround between crops.  Paraquat is used on over 40% of the vegetable area and sales continue to grow rapidly.”  (1)

It’s use in the USA is restricted to authorized applicators.  China is importing and producing it in higher concentrations to save on costs. 

One of the scariest areas of neuro and genetic research is that paraquat and similar toxic herbicides seem to correlate to Parkison disease, for increased exposure to living areas and eating produce with residue herbicide (2)  This was true for human studies alson on workers exposed to paraquat and other herbicides and pesticides, researchers found a statistically significant correlation between exposure to such substances and Parkinson’s Disease. Am J Ind Med, 1990, 17:3, 349-55

Another reason to urge for more control and oversight in agriculture as well as our reliance on chemicals.

I found some places to buy Paraquat in Shenzen.  http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/576161.htm

http://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Paraquat.html 

(1) Paraquat on the rise in Guandong , http://www.paraquat.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2915 

(2) http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/about-parkinsons/what-is-parkinsons/causes/underlying-causes.aspx

Urban Farming is taking a large approach in some areas.  In Mumbai,  Dr Ramesh T. Doshi, whose 12000 sq. ft. terrace in Bandra yields 5 Kg of fruits and vegetables daily for 300 days a year.  One of the interest components here is that he is recycling food wastes to use, reducing garbage, a needed item in our Chinese cities.

When Skyscrapers are rising high, what are some solutions? Build an farming soaring tall.  Mithun a sustainabile progressive architecture firm, also in Seattle has develop a concept that is Seattle centric to getting more green space in the city,  how do you put 1.3 acres of farming on a roof?

Vertical Farming has some great plus factors:
1. It makes our cities greener
2. Crops aren’t subject to climate issues
3. Can grow organically

The trend is growing in China, RUAF Foundation partnered with Chengdu and the government has built Szechuan Floriculture Park in Pi County.  There is some extensive research published in Chinese at http://www.cnruaf.com.cn/ and the more limited http://www.ruaf.org/index.php?q=node/495

In Shenzhen, the growing pattern is clever, within the city farmers produce the most perishable items while outside the city the hardier produce like potatoes and carrots are grown.

Resources:

Check out this City Farming Innovations Report by UNDP, aslo featuring Doshi http://ssc.undp.org/uploads/media/City_farming.pdf

Learn more about vertical farming

http://www.verticalfarm.com/

Community Farming

Seattle P-Patch http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/

What is Urban Agriculture

http://www.ruaf.org/index.php?q=node/512

The Congressional Research Service, a research arm of the USA Congress recently presented a report titled: “Health and Safety Concerns Over US Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview” publish January 2008 by Wayne Morrison

The report largely references news Stories from 2007, criticizing USA importants of Chiense products based on a number of safety concerns and lack of regulation. 

Some snatch shots of the stories:

• Xinhua News Agency reported that former director of State Food and Drug andministration had been sentenced to death for bribes, $850,000 USD for apporivng untested medicines, executed July 10, 2007.  (Though it a curious reference, a death sentence is definite post-regulation)
• June 27, 2007 China Daily News reports about nationwide use of dangerous raw materials used to produce candy, flour, pickles,

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2007 issued warnings and announced voluntary recalls on certain pet foods (and products used to manufacture pet food and animal feed) from China believed to have caused the sickness and deaths of numerous pets in the United States. In May 2007, the FDA issued warnings on certain toothpaste products (some of which were found to be counterfeit) found to originate in China that contained poisonous chemicals. In June 2007, the FDA announced import controls on all farm-raised catfish, bass, shrimp, dace (related to carp), and eel from China after antimicrobialagents, which are not approved in the United States for use in farm-raised aquatic animals, were found. Such shipments will be detained until they are proven to be free of contaminants. On January 25, 2008, the FDA posted on its website a notice by Baxter Healthcare Corporation that it had temporarily halted the manufacture of its multiple-dose vials of heparin (a blood thinner) for injection because of recent reports of serious adverse events (including an estimated 81 deaths and hundreds of complications) associated with the use of this drug.

Congressional Research Service, www.crs.gov

But this astounding progress has come at a price. China catapulted to power by joining, and excelling in, the Western game of economies of scale, technological intervention, and globalized business.

Meanwhile, during these same decades, the Western world has gradually become aware of the unsustainability of some of its own business practices. In the realm of food, we now face growing concern about the many long term health effects of industrial food. The consequences are nothing short of a global health crisis.

And yet we are familiar with the natural path that leads to health and vitality into old age. It is the path to which many are returning in North America, that some in Europe and Japan never left, and that China must soon discover.

It is our hope that Organic China will help to illuminate this path. Stay tuned.

The other good news is the Shanghai Consumer Commission (formerly Consumer Association) is stepping up tests.

The other minor story in this cake-bacteria string is that food baskets and shopping carts are loaded up with other harmful bacteria…our over-populated shopping experiences at their best! I especially found the whole frozen chickens being stuffed into baskets esp appetizing.  It was picked up on the IHT/AP.

http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/shanghai/node2314/node3124/node3141/node3151/userobject6ai1145.html

Today’s quest for organic vegetables in Shanghai led me to check out, a one stop cornucopia delivery service. Organic Delivery services around the world have taken off, fueled not only by the sustainability movement but also the reduce your carbon footprint, support artisan farms, eat local agenda.

The idea is simple, a single delivery company sources all the organics you need and delivers them to you, typically once a week. I have been impressed over the years by companies supporting an entire culture around the farmers and the food movement.

At a 129 RMB (around $19.00 USD) my package of super clean produce arrived. I purchased mine from OSTORE or BIOFARM.

The colorful box included what I now think of as a truly Chinese experience. While many readers might expect a rough dusty basket filled with carrots covered in dirt, I received perhaps the most pre-washed produce I have ever seen.

These radishes looked more like artist recreations than something grown in the ground. Typically, my purchases from the Seattle’s market don’t look this clean even after I take them home, wash them, chop them up and throw them in a salad.

In my excitement I made a video. Full disclosure, I ordered two boxes of vegetables, for 258 RMB, so while 18 USD still may seem like steal for one box, don’t get too carried away by the price of cilantro in China.

BIOFARM, the actual grower of my produce, only has capacity to grow for 250 families. I snuck in the rank, actually I am purchasing two spaces on the list at the moment; though, while I am happily and again naively eating my greens, this is as much for research as it is filling my pantry. Questions remain, the quality and reality of organic labeling as well as exactly what it means to purchase from the BIOFARM. Again, look for more in-depth blog entires to come. In the meantime, I will say after the enthusiasm of receiving vegetables that look so clean, I don’t even need to wash them, I am a bit disillusioned by ordering a box of groceries so neatly packed in plastic, which hardly seems non-toxic nor sustainable. It was also apparent I wasn’t helping any small scaled farmer either. However, this certainly could at least fulfill the safety element amongst some readers. (Edits to come)

As a foot note:

I found some great images measuring the population density of Shanghai. Be sure to click the art work below to see a larger image.

Shanghai can look a bit romantic even with 8 lanes of traffic. It must be the green belt.

Another view of the same part of town, the Bund.

So here you have it. This is my attempt to find those reporting on Organics, report myself, and solicit stories from you.

This will be everything and anything organic.

Featuring

• Organic produce
• Chefs
• Food movement leaders
• Farms
• Restaurants
• Stores
• Food Safety
• Deliciousness
• Accountability / Green Washing

I’ll need help. I aspire OC to be in English and Chinese so we can get the most readers, contributors, and hopefully inspire consumers as well as farmers do to better.

At little bit about me. I am Sean Howell, an American businessman living in Shanghai, not your typical Organic Blogger. On the contrary, even those without a sustainability background have heard and are concerned about the food safety in China that we face everyday. Sure we want to eat the local yummy dumpling delights, the spinach with sweet gravies, the dried beans, the celery, the green onions, of course the garlic…all the things that make local Chinese food absolutely wonderful.

About the sustainability background, well aside from running in for-profit circles, I spend most of my time on Sustainability activism, New Urbanism, arts. I co-founded Friendsofseattle.org a green urban and livability political powerhouse in the Pacific Northwest, I am involved in a number of food movement groups in the USA and hope some of them migrate to Asia, and I have special interests in developing economies and have worked on a number of development projects in and outside ofAfrica. Though, I hope you get to know me through my posts as well as in person.

Many of us fall into two camps. The Dragon is fine camp, those of us who try and not think about where this food is coming from. What water source it had or what chemicals were used on this exceptionally green lettuce. The Dragon is the Dragon and we have no choice but to eat what is here. Sadly, I have been looking for the great green Dragon and options so far are few.

With that said, please help. Share your recommendations for restaurants, chefs, articles you read, food safety scares, farms, produce stands, anything. Email me ideas or write submissions, send me links. Tell your friends to read this. Recommend it to a Chinese colleague. We have to get people talking to each other.

I am looking for

• You to send in your ideas of stories or recommendations
• Authors who want to join the cause
• Translators. Let’s get this in Chinese to help pass it on.