Nutrient-Dense Manifesto
A complete version of this document can be found at
http://www.nutrient-dense.info/docs/NDManifesto.pdf
Take Action for Soil, Health, Food Quality and the Future of Farming
VISION: A New Green Revolution
- To restore human health by renewing the minerals and life in soils to optimize the nutrient quality of food.
- To support farmers to apply biological principles of 21st century agriculture in effective soil stewardship.
- To create Standards, Certification and Marketing to deliver authentic Nutrient-Dense foods to consumers.
- WHEREAS six of the ten leading causes of death are due to food quality and diet;
- WHEREAS the nutrient content of foods is 15 to 75% less than 50 years ago when the USDA began publishing data;
- WHEREAS food today has low nutrient density due to poor nutritional practices of farmers who grow that food;
- WHEREAS most farmland is deficient in minerals, trace elements, other essential nutrients, and soil microbiology;
- WHEREAS 20th Century farmers used large amounts of refined fertilizers with only a few nutrients, and neglected the many other nutrients that are essential to health at parts per million, parts per billion, or even less;
- WHEREAS no quality standard exists in the marketplace to identify foods with superior nutrition;
- WHEREAS “certified organic” food does not offer any assurance of higher nutrient density or flavor;
- WHEREAS we have technology to grow more nutritious, better tasting crops without toxins and greenhouse gases;
- WHEREAS tens of thousands of acres of Nutrient-Dense foods are already growing in America;
- WHEREAS still are using 20th Century thinking to address our 21st Century challenges;
- Advocate the interconnections of soil fertility, food quality and human health
- Teach growers the biological methods and materials of 21st Century agriculture
- Improve the mineral balance of our soils
- Optimize the nutrient content of our foods
- Increase production of Nutrient-Dense foods
- Publish Standards & Practices for Nutrient-Dense production
- Marketplace certification of Nutrient-Dense food & producers
- Expand marketing & promotion for Nutrient-Dense food
- Educate consumers about Nutrient-Dense quality Standards
- Research to document the values of Nutrient Dense Foods
- Form a national Nutrient-Dense organization
- Hold a national Nutrient-Dense conference
- Soil Stewardship: living community of the soil food web
- Biological Agriculture: from chemical to ecological paradigm
- Carbon-Negative Food: sequester CO2 from the atmosphere
- Community-Supportive: Locally Integrated Food & Energy
- Member Involvement: initiative from the ground up
- Community Building: personal & professional relationships
- Mutual Empowerment: grassroots change by we, the people
- Transparency: open communication & full disclosure
- Openness: information exchange & public online database
