Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
science in service may help other industries develop strategies. Indeed, as
commodities that have benefited from agroecological partnerships, the
almond and pear industries have developed some of the same strategies
of cooperative knowledge exchange and adding value, and representing
these to the public, not merely public agencies. These initiatives may be
able to contribute to the broader economic crises in agriculture.
Circulating Knowledge in the Lodi Winegrape Partnership
More than any other, the Lodi winegrape partnership has actively circu-
lated knowledge through all five of Latour's loops. As a commodity,
winegrapes have several traits that make partnership initiatives easier.
Growers participating in other partnerships complain that their crops do
not have the same advantages as do winegrapes, with remarks like
“winegrapes are different.” The winegrape industry has developed its
partnerships more than other commodities, but the social and economic
forces pressing against California agriculture do so regardless of crop.
Every other commodity will have to develop strategies to add value to
their crops if they are going to survive in the US economy. The invest-
ment of effort and resources like that of the Lodi partnership will be
necessary to ensure agriculture's future in rapidly urbanizing regions,
such as in most coastal states. The Lodi partnership has developed a full
toolbox which can be adapted by other agroecological initiatives.
Growers created the Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission to
improve practices, enhance the collective quality of their grapes, and
improve their protection of environmental resources. Leading growers
decided not to do this apart from their neighbors, but rather enroll all
growers in a cooperative project. As soon as the region's growers voted
the commission into existence in 1992, it established three main goals:
differentiate Lodi's winegrapes and wine in the market
fund a regionally specific research program to benefit local growers
encourage the use of environmentally friendly farming practices.
Note that all three goals are dependent on the sharing of knowledge. The
third goal came about when the grower John Kautz persuaded the new
executive director of the commission, Mark Chandler, to integrate an
IPM component into the new organization's efforts. Leading growers
