Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
learning and explores the role of conf lict in this. Further, different levels of learning from
interstakeholder to intrastakeholder and from micro- to meso- and macro- are all touched
upon. A final section (see A three-pronged approach to social responsibility ) reasserts the value
of the three-pronged approach advocated and offers an example, internal control systems (ICS)
for group certification in developing countries, to illustrate how regulation, collaboration and
learning can overlap and reinforce one another to the benefit of all. This Chapter concludes
with a reiteration of our argument that values the utilisation of all three coordination mecha-
nisms, and places the discussion back into the larger agricultural and societal contexts.
Social responsibility in the organic context
It is no surprise that the technological revolution that swept through agriculture in the 1950s
fuelled questions by some of the pioneers of organic agriculture. After all, they were con-
cerned with the health of the soil, plants, animals and people, and were committed to main-
taining farms that were small in scale, self sufficient and accepting of the 'natural' order.
The commitment of such individuals and discreet organisations transformed organic agri-
culture from a rather loose concept into a social movement with associated farming methods
in the last quarter of the 20th century. This movement intentionally placed itself as an alter-
native to mainstream agriculture. The consolidation of fringe movements and subsequent
evolution of these movements into a more coherent whole, which took place in the second
half of the 20th century, was very much the result of a two-way process of societal demands
shaping organic agriculture, and the organic movement gradually inf luencing some sections
of society. Over time, the philosophical roots of the movement have been translated into
standards to guide systems of production and, with the rapid expansion of markets and the
appeal of high prices, the organic 'movement' has emerged globally as a recognisable sector
within agriculture. Producers and producer organisations, certifying bodies, processors and
traders, service providers, various organic interest groups and a plethora of other players
now constitute this sector.
The international growth and development of the organic sector can be seen as positive in
terms of its contribution to sustainable agriculture and the triple goals of social responsibility,
economic viability and environmental integrity. However, the global nature of this expansion
and the likely absorption, appropriation and concentration of organic agriculture by conven-
tional agriculture and its market structures, the so-called 'conventionalisation' of organic
agriculture, and its consequences in terms of the original ideals of the organic movement, have
been topics of recent intense discussion. The most rapid growth of organic farming has taken
place in Europe. Michelsen (2001) described this growth as a breakthrough, whereby what was
an obscure type of farming in the beginning of the 1980s had become an institutionalised
form of production with its own dynamics in the market place by the year 2000 in some coun-
tries. The rising inf luence of the environmental movement over the same period leading to
greater public interest in environmental matters, coupled with the prominence of a series of
food safety concerns, are attributed to heightening consumer interest in organic products. The
formal political recognition of the organic movement and ongoing policy formulations at the
European Union (EU) level has complemented this growth process (Dabbert et al . 2004).
In the consumers' minds, personal well being, taste, environmental values of a general
nature and animal welfare concerns have been the more important motivations for buying
organic food as opposed to an adherence to organic principles (Dabbert et al . 2004). Social
values and social justice criteria have not been expressed as distinct driving forces for
consumer behaviour towards organic agriculture in Europe. In a country like Denmark,
which has the highest consumption of organic products per capita in the world, a prerequisite
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