Constrained Choice and Ethical Dilemmas in Land Management: Environmental Quality and Food Safety in California Agriculture

Stuart, Diana

doi:10.1007/s10806-008-9129-2

Cited by 59 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Control efforts that potentially reduce biodiversity, such as noncrop vegetation clearing and indiscriminate poison baiting, may increase fecal shedding potentially through promotion of intraspecific transmission of pathogens. In a study carried out by Stuart,88.9% of crop growers in the Salinas Valley region that were interviewed indicated that they had taken at least one measure to actively discourage or eliminate wildlife, with bare ground buffers and poisoned stations being used by more than one-half of the respondents (11). The challenge still remains as to how we can enhance preharvest food safety while promoting environmentally sustainable farm practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wildlife have been implicated in outbreaks involving foodborne pathogens (8)(9)(10), which has prompted growers in California to implement stringent wildlife intrusion control measures, such as fencing, poison baiting, and clearing of noncrop vegetation in areas adjacent to produce fields (11). The role of various small mammal species as potential reservoirs of deleterious pathogens, such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7, however, still remains uncertain.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Fecal Shedding of Zoonotic Food-Borne Pathogens by Wild Rodents in a Major Agricultural Region of the Central California Coast

Kilonzo

Vivas

et al. 2013

Appl Environ Microbiol

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bRecent outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with the consumption of produce have increased concern over wildlife reservoirs of food-borne pathogens. Wild rodents are ubiquitous, and those living close to agricultural farms may pose a food safety risk should they shed zoonotic microorganisms in their feces near or on agricultural commodities. Fecal samples from wild rodents trapped on 13 agricultural farms (9 produce, 3 cow-calf operations, and 1 beef cattle feedlot) in Monterey and San Benito Counties, CA, were screened to determine the prevalence and risk factors for shedding of several food-borne pathogens. Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) were the most abundant rodent species trapped (72.5%). Cryptosporidium species (26.0%) and Giardia species (24.2%) were the predominant isolates from rodent feces, followed by Salmonella enterica serovars (2.9%) and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (0.2%). Rodent trap success was significantly associated with detection of Salmonella in rodent feces, while farm type was associated with fecal shedding of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Seasonal shedding patterns were evident, with rodents trapped during the spring and summer months being significantly less likely to be shedding Cryptosporidium oocysts than those trapped during autumn. Higher rodent species diversity tended to correlate with lower fecal microbial prevalence, and most spatiotemporal pathogen clusters involved deer mice. Rodents in the study area posed a minimal risk as environmental reservoirs of E. coli O157:H7, but they may play a role in environmental dissemination of Salmonella and protozoa. Rodent control efforts that potentially reduce biodiversity may increase pathogen shedding, possibly through promotion of intraspecific microbial transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fecal Shedding of Zoonotic Food-Borne Pathogens by Wild Rodents in a Major Agricultural Region of the Central California Coast

Kilonzo

Vivas

et al. 2013

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Further, emerging evidence suggests that removal of non-crop vegetation fails to reduce, and may even increase, pathogen prevalence on leafy-green vegetable farms in the California Central Coast , while degrading important ecosystem benefits such as natural pest control services (Letourneau et al 2015, Karp et al 2016). Removing vegetation is expensive and at times conflicts with landowners' acknowledged environmental stewardship responsibilities (Crohn and Bianchi 2008;Gennet et al 2013;Hardesty and Kusunose 2009;Stuart 2009). Furthermore, such approaches may conflict with California's regulatory targets for surface water quality.…”

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confidence: 99%

Inconsistent food safety pressures complicate environmental conservation for California produce growers

Baur¹,

Driscoll²,

Gennet³

et al. 2016

Calif Agr

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Controlling human pathogens on fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts is imperative for California growers. A range of rules and guidelines have been developed since 2006, when a widespread outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 was linked to bagged spinach grown in California. Growers face pressure from industry and government sources to adopt specific control measures on their farms, resulting in a complex, shifting set of demands, some of which conflict with environmental stewardship. We surveyed 588 California produce growers about on-farm practices related to food safety and conservation. Nearly all respondents considered both food safety and environmental protection to be important responsibilities for their farms. Responses indicate that clearing vegetation to create buffers around cropped fields, removing vegetation from ditches and ponds, and using poison bait and wildlife fences are commonly used practices intended to reduce wildlife movements onto farm fields. The survey also revealed that on-farm practices vary substantially even among farms with similar characteristics. This variability suggests inconsistencies in food safety requirements, auditors' interpretations or growers' perception of the demands of their buyers. Although site-specific considerations are important and practices should be tailored to local conditions, our findings suggest growers, natural resources and food safety would benefit from clearer, more consistent requirements. C alifornia leads the nation in production of vegetables, fruits and nuts (CDFA 2014) and its fresh produce industry is composed of an exceptional diversity of crops and farm types. Beginning in the late 1990s and accelerating after prominent incidents such as the 2006 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 linked to bagged spinach, new rules and best practice guidelines to mitigate foodborne pathogen contamination propagated rapidly through the fresh produce industry (Stuart 2010). The multiple layers of rules and guidance developed over the past decade present growers with a complex landscape of pressures to adopt and intensify on-farm practices intended to improve food safety, some of which may conflict with efforts to conserve natural resources.Alongside continually developing expectations for food safety, growers are also expected to conserve water and soil and are legally obligated to protect water quality as well as wildlife and its habitat. Many of the state's major agricultural regions, such as the San Joaquin, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Salinas River valleys are located in or near ecologically sensitive river corridors and floodplains. These ecosystems host fertile soils, are sources of fresh water, and also provide habitat for many species of birds, amphibians and other wildlife. On-farm practices, including those related to food safety, can have direct and indirect consequences to the benefits provided from these ecosystems Karp et al. 2016;Karp, Baur et al. 2015;Letourneau et al. 2015). Food safety measures and impactsEarly evidence suggested that pressures to improve food ...

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“…Pathways to agroecological management through mediated markets in Santa Catarina, Brazil 2005;Stuart, 2008), articulates how decision-making results from a defined relationship between individual agency and structural constraints, such as cultural, socialinstitutional and economic forces that mediate the range of options available to individuals. For example, economic constraints to the adoption of agroecological practices include increased costs or labour requirements (Darnhofer et al, 2005), the risk of decreased yields (Rodriguez et al, 2009), and lack of access to credit (Defrancesco et al, 2008;Falconer, 2000).…”

Section: Policy Bridgementioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to agroecological management through mediated markets in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Guerra

Blesh

Filho

et al. 2017

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Agroecology, as a social movement and scientific discipline, applies ecological principles to the design and management of agricultural systems to improve environmental outcomes and livelihoods for farmers and rural communities. However, little research to date has assessed the policy mechanisms that could facilitate increased adoption of agroecological management practices. We investigated if and how public food procurement programs that provide financial incentives for organic and agroecological production can mitigate key constraints to agroecological transition. We explored the experience of participants in Brazil's National School Feeding Program (PNAE) in Santa Catarina, which offers both a structured market for small-scale family farmers and a price premium for certified agroecological production systems. We found that the PNAE provides an economic incentive for small-scale farmers to begin an agroecological transition by creating a price-differentiated market that is otherwise absent in the regional context. However, without external network linkages -such as participation in farmers' associations, cooperatives, and non-governmental agricultural extension programs that support agroecological practices -the influence of PNAE is limited in stimulating a broader scaling up of agroecological production.

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Constrained Choice and Ethical Dilemmas in Land Management: Environmental Quality and Food Safety in California Agriculture

Cited by 59 publications

References 37 publications

Fecal Shedding of Zoonotic Food-Borne Pathogens by Wild Rodents in a Major Agricultural Region of the Central California Coast

Fecal Shedding of Zoonotic Food-Borne Pathogens by Wild Rodents in a Major Agricultural Region of the Central California Coast

Inconsistent food safety pressures complicate environmental conservation for California produce growers

Pathways to agroecological management through mediated markets in Santa Catarina, Brazil

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