Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Commodities Have Varied Capacities to Circulate Knowledge to the
Public
Differences in the commodity form of different crops shapes the ability
of a particular commodity network to circulate knowledge throughout
the agricultural knowledge system to “the public,” whether public regu-
latory officials or the consuming publics. Commodity-specific groups are
more vulnerable to negative public opinion about production practices
to their specific farming systems—and are thus more motivated to
address them—than are general agricultural lobby groups such as the
Farm Bureau. Several commodity organizations have used crop-specific
and region-specific knowledge about agroecological strategies and prac-
tices learned through partnerships in negotiations with public regulatory
agencies.
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From a pragmatic political perspective, commodity organiza-
tions are in a stronger position to negotiate with regulatory agencies if
they can demonstrate “good faith” on the part of their growers through
partnership initiatives. The PMA program in particular provided them
opportunities to engage the Department of Pesticide Regulation. Both
almond and pear commodity networks have close relationships with
their processors, but differences in their economic relations with their
processors shape the circulation of knowledge from the farm, scientific
community, and growers to the public.
The Almond Board of California and similar groups may in fact be
more fearful of negative publicity than actual enforcement of regula-
tions. Several partnership leaders suggest that agricultural commodity
organizations worry that another “Alar-type” scare would hurt their
industry more than a regulatory action. For example, even though the
Sun-Maid raisin partnership achieved substantial reduction in hazardous
agrochemicals, Sun-Maid declined to release results demonstrating that
for this study. They manifest a strategy of not drawing consumer atten-
tion to the use of agrochemicals in agriculture, but should a food safety
crisis erupt, they could pull the data out of a drawer to deflect public
criticism.
The almond industry has been much more effective communicating
with public officials than with consumers about partnership activities.
Even though PMA funding has come to an end, the ABC has found it to
their advantage to continue the partnership. All the parties in the net-
