Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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agribusiness manipulation will be difficult, and small-scale organic produc-
ers will endure.
Drawing froman Irish example, one analysis indicated that organic farm-
ing has been swallowed by the conventional political structures of agricul-
ture (Tovey 1997). By claiming to support organic farming, the large-scale
“status quo” policies of conventional production become stronger in the
long term. Thus in Ireland, the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme
funds from the European Union are promoted for organic farmers, but this
will not change the basic problems of large-scale production and overpro-
duction. Organic farms are being used for environmental conservation, in a
popular attempt to keep the countryside looking pretty. In a sense, organic
farms are being used as an excuse - something that can be pointed out:
“See, we're trying to change the problems with conventional agriculture.”
But, in fact, the opposite is true, since organic farms are being funded by
the existing agricultural system for its own public relations benefit, rather
than promoted as an alternative approach.
A comparison of the institutional framework of organic farming in Den-
mark and Belgium found that each country displays different relationships
between conventional and organic agricultural organizations and within
organic farming groups (Lynggaard 2001). Denmark has had “creative con-
flict,” but eventually positive relationships developed between conventional
and organic marketing institutions, which has led to vast expansion of or-
ganic farming and large customer demand. Belgium, on the other hand,
has had slow development of organic farming because the institutions
developed regionally and separately from conventional agricultural orga-
nizations. This implies that some mutual relationship with conventional
agriculture has a positive effect on organic farming, by increasing its mar-
keting potential. But obviously, too much of a good thing must be avoided.
Organic farms should coexist with, but not be subsumed by, conventional
agriculture.
There are tangible, negative aspects to the agribusiness takeover of or-
ganic agriculture, and consumers and farmers should work to halt this pro-
cess. But don't write off organics just yet! We should remember that organic
farming is becoming mainstream - for better and for worse. If the evolution
of organic farming includes an inevitable movement toward a conventional
agricultural distribution system, at least it means we are not spewing as
many unnecessary agrichemicals into our environment and perhaps our
waterways will be just that much cleaner. In addition, more consumers
will have the option to buy organic if it is more widely distributed with
reasonable prices. But the most convincing reason to slow the conquest by
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