この英文を訳してください!
Concern about health is one of the driving forces behind the rapid expansion of
organics,the fastest growing segment of an otherwise Sluggish food industry.In some
ways organic has become "a victim of its own success." Agribusiness is swallowing up
the very farms that started as a reaction to the industrialization of America's food supply.
Small organic farms rebelled against conventional farming methods that relied on
Synthetic pesticides and other toxic chemicals that exhaust the soil and pollute water,
but there were other aspects to the organic movement that got lost when the U.S.
Department of Agriculture established organic standards in 2002. Organic farmers
wanted to move away from the large corporate farms that grew only one crop such as
corn or WHeat, and return to the old way offarming with various crops and farm
animals all coexisting. They envisioned small regional farms supplying Americans with
local, seasonal, and natural foods. However, as organic farms grew they started to look
a lot like their conventional counterparts, minus the harmful chemicals.
Even as critics claim that organic has been "industrialized" and taken over by big
business,there is no question that a lot of good has come out of the organic
movement. The conversion ofland into organic has been greatforthe environment.It
has enabled consumers to have more access to fruits and vegetables grown without
pesticides and to meat from animals raised on heal thier feed. However,food still often
has to travel thousands of miles from farm to table,the average distance for produce
being about 1,500 "food" miles. One researcher, Louise Pape, director of Climate
Today,found that wheat traveled 5,110 miles from a farm in Nebraska to a Wal-Martin
New Mexico, stopping in four other places on its journey from the field to a box of cake
mix.
Organic foods are expensive, often requiring a 20 to 50 percent price increase,
depending on the product and whether it's in season, and they aren't always available.
It can be especially difficult to find certified organic meat. This is all likely to change
as Wal-Mart adds a substantial amount of well-priced organic foods to its shelves, much
of it packaged organic versions of conventional foods like boxed macaroni and cheese
and breakfast cereals. Wal-Mart's appetite for organic will surely resultin the conversion
of hundreds of thousands more acres of farmland to organic. The land won't 30
necessarily be in the United States, but it's good news that consumers will have more
access to organic.
There are also worries about the constant pressure to weaken the organic standards,
which will only increase as big business gets more involved.
As the meaning of "organic" is Weakened, some farmers go "beyond organic" by using
words like "local" and 'sustainable" in reaction to the industrialization of organic.
There's no official definition of "sustainable," but it's essentially a way of raising food
that's healthy for those who eat it as well as the farms that produce it -the animals,
the farmers, and the land itself. Chemical pesticides are minimally used, animals have
access to pasture, and the farm itselfis viewed as an extension of the local community.
What's taken out of the environment is put back in so that it can be maintained
permanently and available to future generations. Local food is fresher, doesn't have to
travel thousands of miles to reach you, and is less expensive When you buy it directly
from the farmer.It's also better for your local economy. When you choose local you
are supporting conservation of fuel resources, economic viability of local communities,
freshness, and better taste. Eating locally and in-season foods is also a more traditional
way of eating. The disadvantage to local is that unless it's guaranteed to be organic you
have to do allthe work yourself to know how it was produced.
お礼
回答ありがとうございます。 drive the agendaは「政策を推し進める」というのがよくはまる感じでいいですね。 inclusionは、辞書に載っていました。見落としていました。 わかりやすい解説ありがとうございました。