Engaging the Organic Conventionalization Debate - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 170

Table 9.4 Attitudes regarding philosophy and production (percent)

Conventional (n D 463) Pragmatic vonventional (n D 334) Organic (n D 100)

I support the philosophy of organic farming**
Agree

26.8 66.3 73.6

Disagree 43.5 5.4 6.6

Not sure 29.7 28.2 19.8

I can successfully farm without the use of synthetic chemicals**
Agree 14.3 18.2 55.8

Disagree 52.7 22.4 16.3

Not sure 33.0 59.4 27.9

Organic farming is technically viable**
Agree 6.4 25.2 55.6

Disagree 62.1 15.4 15.6

Not sure 31.5 59.4 28.9

Organic farming is a feasible long-term production method**
Agree 3.6 17.9 48.2
Disagree 68.5 14.6 18.8
Not Sure 27.9 67.5 32.9
Organic production is compatible with my high production system of farming**
Agree 3.6 11.6 33.3
Disagree 65.0 31.5 32.1
Not sure 31.4 57.0 34.5
Note: P values report significance levels for Chi-square test of producers' attitudes toward organics
by their orientation toward organics: *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01 Tables 9.4 , 9.5 based on information
from USDA-accredited State and private organic certifiers

9.6 Sociology of Agrifood

For rural social scientists, the alternative agrifood system in general and organics
in particular is a central topic of discussion (Buttel 1987 , 1996 ; Tovey 1997 ; Allen
and Kovach 2000 ; DuPuis 2000 ; Campbell and Liepins 2001 ; Allen 2004 ; Guthman
2004c ; Lyson 2004 ; Lockie and Halpin 2005 ; Hinrichs and Lyson 2008 ; Jordan and
Constance 2008 ). Organic production and markets have grown rapidly and continue
to do so. The certified-organic label is well-known, but the success is problematic
sociologically. While the origins of organics included a transformative dimension
that addressed the environmental, economic, and social externalities of modern
agriculture, some authors maintain that conventionalization calls into question the
original social movement aspects as organics is institutionalized (DeLind 2000 ;
Klonsky 2000 ; Pugliese 2001 ; Allen 2004 ; Guthman 2004b ; Klintman and Boström
2004 ; Constance and Choi 2010 ; National Research Council 2010 ).
Evidence presented in this chapter speaks to these concerns about convention-
alization. First, it appears that due to opposition from conventional agriculture in
the US, the original NOP regulations that focused only on the certified-organic
label as a market signal with no conversion support was too conservative regarding