Our Speakers
50+ prominent organic farmers, advocates, eaters, doers, and thinkers.
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
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Zephyr Teachout
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Michael Pollan
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Seth Godin
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Alice Waters
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Vandana Shiva
Learn More ➔Chickenization (noun): The process of chickenizing, making into a vertically and horizontally integrated industry with all the power at the top.
Two Sundays Two Sessions
Session 1: The Chickenization of Organic
Rapid consolidation across our food system is limiting consumer choices, inflating prices, and putting farmers out of business. As meat packers, grocery chains, and distributors absorb smaller players and increase their market power, we look to make sense of this grim new reality. How can US antitrust laws play a role in saving organic farmers and ensuring that real organic food remains available? Millions of citizens desperately want such food, and they are losing the choice. How can we best locate and use the institutional acupuncture points that will lead to the future we seek?
Session 2: In Defense of Biology
The current struggle between these two visions for our future is seen in the EU’s Farm To Fork proposal and the USDA’s submission to the grip that Big Ag has on “Climate-Smart” funding. While the pesticide industry doubles down on false promises of higher yields and food security, organic farmers point to the longtime success they’ve found building organic matter in soils and limiting pest and disease pressure by advancing biodiversity.
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4 Meat Packers
Tyson, JBS, Cargill and Smithfield (now owned by the Chinese multinational WH Group). "Proponents...claim mergers and acquisitions generate efficiencies that cut costs for farmers and benefit consumers by keeping prices down. "But the tight grip these companies have over the industry means farmers have little choice about whom they sell to and how their animals are raised." - Food and Water Watch, as published in The Guardian
4 Grocery Chains
controlling more than 40% of grocery items for sale. WalMart, Costco, Kroger and Ahold-Delhaize. "PepsiCo controls 88% of the dip market, as it owns five of the most popular brands including Tostitos, Lay’s and Fritos. Ninety-three per cent of the sodas we drink are owned by just three companies. The same goes for 73% of the breakfast cereals we eat – despite the shelves stacked with different boxes." - Food and Water Watch, as published in The Guardian
175M Lobbying Dollars
spent during the 2020 election cycle. "The money came from every part of the food chain, including dairy, eggs, poultry, meat processing, farm bureaus, sugar cane, crop production and supermarkets. "The 2020 total compares to just $29m spent during the 1992 election cycle, which means lobbying by the food industry has increased by sixfold in less than three decades as consolidation across the supply chain has boomed." - Food and Water Watch, as published in The Guardian
FAQs
Please reach out at join@realorganicproject.org with additional questions.
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Will there be live breakout sessions?
Yes! Our 90-minute event will be broadcast via Youtube and followed directly afterwards by an online discussion on Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to ticket holders and can also be found underneath the YouTube video and pinned to the top of the YouTube chat box.
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Will the sessions be recorded?
Absolutely. All ticket holders will have access to both sessions shortly after they air.
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Do you offer a discount to farmers, Real Friends, and students?
We do. All Real Organic Project certified farmers will be emailed a code for free access to our Symposium. Likewise, our Real Friends will be sent a discount code. Students asking for free access via our scholarship fund may contact anthony@realorganicproject.org for more information.
Psst – we are also offering 20% off our regular ticket prices until midnight ET on Saturday February 24.
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Is the symposium a live broadcast?
While we broadcast our edited docu-style event “live,” it has been created from an in-depth series of interviews that we’ve been collecting over the past many months. Our chat box threads and follow-up Zoom discussion happen in real time.
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How can I help promote the 2024 symposium?
We appreciate any and all help with spreading the word about our event. Whether you are willing to share social posts, email digital posters to friends and listserves, print posters to hang at local food co-ops and libraries, or send our symposium details into your local paper’s Events section, you can find information and resources here.
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Where can I see the full speaker interviews?
Each of the guests featured in our annual symposium will eventually have their full interview released via our Real Organic Podcast. You can subscribe to our podcast through any podcast app including Apple, Spotify, and Google). You can also watch all of our episodes on our YouTube channel.
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Do you offer scholarships to attend?
We do. You can fill out this form and someone will be in touch with you.
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