Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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Ta b l e 1. How It Works: Important Influences
ECONOMIC
ECOLOGY
SOCIETY
PERSONAL
Markets
Balance
American Culture
Independence
Diversification
Ecosystems
Conventional ag
Information
Direct marketing
Rotation
Views of organic
Risk
Instability
Antipesticides
farming
Low debt
Weather
Big Organic
Cheap food
Busy
Crops
Soil Health
Innovation
Rural regions
Science
Policies/Information
Quality
Experiment
Environmentalists
Organic food prices
USDA standards
Learning
Organic Opportunity
Tradition
Certification
Research
Evolving
[151],
(2)
component is marketing. Where they sell the crops and livestock they raise
is the most important aspect of their success. Also important is the high
quality of their crops. Organic farming has provided themwith an economic
opportunity that might not have been attained through other agricultural
systems.
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Markets
A successful organic marketing system takes time, skill, and constant ef-
fort. First, the sales must be diversified. Second, direct marketing can be
a key approach for some farms. Third, there are concerns about organic
market instability. Fourth, farmers are worried about the future, as large
agribusinesses exert increasing influence in the organic marketplace.
[151],
(2)
Diversification
Cropping and marketing diversity are the roots of success for organic farm-
ers. Phil, in California, explains it this way: “We don't make big money on
any one crop. We might hit some good markets on specific crops and have
a very good year with specific crops, but we don't have a lot of crops that do
too terribly bad. So we have quite a bit of enterprise. We have the orchard,
we have the delivering, we have the sales, diverse crops, and we are in it
year-round. So we are not where someone has hold of our money before it
gets to us. Certainly someone we sell to could be a bad customer and not
pay us, but that would only be one of many customers.”
For citrus, diversification means marketing. Mary explains how smaller
citrus groves in Florida simply cannot compete. To stay competitive, it's
