There's a rather fierce debate going on at the moment here on Prince Edward Island. The topic is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and whether there should be a blanket ban on them across the Island's agricultural community. Opinions appear to be divided, as seems the norm on PEI whenever there's a whiff of proposed change in the air.

Ideally, I would love to see PEI go all the way and revamp it's entire agriculutural industry in line with the tennents of organic farming. All the elements for success seem to be here - we have a well established agricultural industry as it is, thus there is a great deal of knowledge held within the community, the Island is isolated, thus boundaries from other agricultural communities are well-defined, there is an every-growing demand for organic produce both on and off the Island (I was astounded at how busy the Farmer's Market was on Saturday!) and there are already some established organic producers on the Island who could provide leadership and knowledge.

But it's not that easy is it? Nobody likes change, least of all when the current way of doing things appears to be working alright..maybe not briliantly, but well enough. So what incentive is there for farmers on PEI to switch to organic farming, which is riskier, would involve futher capital investments and it could take up to seven years to become certified organic? The incentives to change just aren't there. Or are they? Maybe it's simply that the benefits haven't been illuminated properly, or maybe it's that people, generally, are resistant to change and will reject it if they have the ability to. So what's the solution? Incentives? Policies and laws? Education?

One way to show support for the organic community on PEI might be to attend the Organic Harvest Dinner being put on by the Culinary Institute on September 29. If you are interested in checking out the menu or picking up tickets here is a link to further information http://david.goldnet.ca/index.php?page=coop_programs Hope to see you there!!