Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
agribusiness industrializing or “conventionalizing” organic production 4 has been
discussed for many years (Buck et al. 1997 , p. 4) (see Grosglik, Chap. 8 ; Constance
et al., Chap. 9 ) .
There is also some evidence, by no means overwhelming, that financial support,
largely through subsidies, has become a relevant motive for this group to convert to
organic, specifically in the EU. Under these conditions, they are usually unfamiliar
with the IFOAM Principles and values in contrast to early converters for whom
subsidies were not available (Padel et al. 2007a , p. 116).
In some cases, such market-driven production practices directly contradict the
IFOAM Principles. For example, Padel et al. ( 2007a ) found significant differences
between the IFOAM Principles and industrial-type production practices in pig and
poultry (feeding) and horticulture farming, as well as in crop production (organic
fertilizer) (ibid., p. 9, 10). De Wit and Verhoog ( 2007 ) also observed that high off-
farm inputs (not always organic) are applied on organic farms in the Netherlands
and are often transported over long distances.
Obviously, some organic practices that are consistent with the IFOAM Standards,
but involve an oversupply of inputs, compromise the IFOAM Principle of Ecology.
Oversupplying nutrients creates several negative consequences for soil fertility,
plant health and food quality, and this raises several questions about the aware-
ness/ignorance of IFOAM Principles on the part of farmers. This intensification
of organic is not only a question of production, but it risks jeopardizing continued
support from both consumers and policy-makers (Darnhofer et al. 2010 ). This
explains in part, why non-governmental standards are more restrictive than federal
regulations in the EU or in the US (Padel and Gössinger 2008 , pp. 14-15).
13.1.3
Consumers Values
There is little doubt that organic has become widely accepted by consumers and no
longer represents only a status or lifestyle symbol (Torjusen et al. 2004 ; Hughner
et al. 2007 ). However, there are also those who argue that organic should include
the values of “local” as a means of incorporating concerns with social justice and
ecological sustainability (Allen et al. 2003 cited in Clarke et al. 2008 , p. 220)
4 In recent decades, the 'conventionalization' of organic has been widely discussed within
organic farming movement (De Wit and Verhoog 2007 ; Guptill 2009 ; Konstantinidis 2012 ). The
conventionalization of organic farming can be described in many ways, however most definitions
are concerned with how organic farming has generally followed trends of conventional production.
This most commonly has involved the ways in which agribusiness discovers ways to industrialize
organic farming and production, which often leads to the occurrence of some farms that fulfill
certification requirements without adhering to the principles of organic (Buck et al. 1997 ;Hall
and Mogyorody 2002 ; Darnhofer et al. 2010 ). In short, conventionalization of organic practices
often minimizes ethical considerations along the organic agrofood chain addressed by the IFOAM
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