Organic vs. Local vs. Big Argi-Business vs. ???

The original article that was published on September 4, 2012:

• Standford University Benefits of Organic Produce on Health Article

Some articles in response to the author's findings and conclusions: 

• Scientists Cast Doubts On Organic Produce
• Organic Food vs. Conventional Food
• Huffington Post's Response Re: What the Stanford Study Missed
• Co-author found to have connections and support to tobacco farming industry
• 5 Ways the Stanford Study Sells Organics Short
• Organic food is not healthier than non-organic (the more conservative, buy-in perspective to study contribution :) )
• Times-Standard article: Unconventional approach; local farmers unfazed by Stanford study on organic food benefits

I realize I'm very biased in this discussion because I am very pro-local produce, but that doesn't mean I'm 200% on board with organic all the time either.  Also, as a MPH student at George Washington University, I've learned what the quantitative data presented in an article discussed here, actually signifies.  Media can flash all sorts of "grab" you headlines, but what is the actual "meat", the background and details, to those headlines?  In order to better understand this past week's news about organic and the significance of the Stanford study, I've posted access to the original article at the top (unfortunately, it is difficult for most people who are outside of academia to obtain access to these scholarly articles to understand as a consumer yourself, what all these studies are actually saying and if the numbers actually do show significance).  Organic business is not always the best practice either.  You can read about some of the pitfalls in organic business here: Has 'Organic' Been Oversized?.  

I think this last article, published by The New York Times, is very important for everybody to read when they are thinking about organic vs. local vs. "big agribusiness" farming practices and what you want and decide to consume.  Me, I think the beautiful garden that Cassie, the Edgewood neighborhood, and I have built and grown since April 2012 is the best route to go (along with other local gardens and initiative such as Common Good City Farm, The Neighborhood Farm Initiative, Edgewood Farmers Market, and you can also view the DC 2010 Garden Census that lists most DC gardens and parks Field to Fork's website).  The Edgewood garden is local, we haven't used any form of chemicals (organic or otherwise) on our plants and it is located right there in our neighborhood....so you don't need to use a car filled with gas to get your healthy food, you can walk to it and cook it up right away!