Framework for Re-thinking Ethics in the Organic Movement - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 282

non-organic) and different value sets of farming (see Constance et al., Chap. 9 and
Hunt et al., Chap. 10 ) , e.g., promoting animal welfare (Lampkin et al. 1999 , p. 20),
or other sustainable and ethically oriented practices.
To initiate such learning processes, further curricula, including organic ethics,
needs to be developed at the university level. In practice (Organic) consumer
and organic farmer organizations and journals could be important facilitators for
bringing the IFOAM Principles and ethical concerns into the center of a societal
debate on food and agriculture. 24
Morgan and Murdoch ( 2000 ) point out that in the non-organic system knowledge
tends to be distributed by input suppliers, while in the organic system the farmer
is the “knowing agent”. That is, farmers have to (re)learn farming, understand the
farm as an organism (Paull 2006 , 2011 ), where ecological, disciplinary and systems
knowledge is integrated with respect for both human and nature's capacities and
demands. The deeper meaning of this notion is also valid for other actors along the
organic agrofood chain: the organic agrofood chain should be seen as one organism.
Creating open discussion and exchange “platforms” around the organic agrofood
chain and other societal movements could help to bring value oriented discourses of
the organic movement from the sidelines into the center of societal debates on food
and farming. Such discussions would foster the development of a shared “language”
that could allow “foreigners” to gain access to the movement to understand (gain
access to) the organic value terminology and thereby consider becoming members
of this movement (cf. Baumann 2008 ). Gössinger and Freyer ( 2009b , pp. 79, 80)
made several suggestions to strengthen the ethical approach through training and
advisory services. These are: “(1) a written guide on the development of organicPlus
(

ethically based activities that go beyond the IFOAM Standards); (2) specific
knowledge of ethical aspects: in particular, a deeper reflection on the IFOAM
Principles; (3) written company documentation which describes and reflects their
organicPlus approach.”

D

13.2.5 “Organic” Ethics in Science

Over the last decade, research in organic has grown (Watson et al. 2006 ). But to what
extent have ethical question been integrated in organic research? In this sub-section
we focus on the following: the relevance of studies of ethics in the organic agrofood
chain and studies that specifically deal with IFOAM Principles; the relevance of
“organic” scientists personal ethics; and some ideas on re-orienting an ethical driven
“organic” research. We conclude with some preliminary thoughts on an ethically
oriented organic research agenda.

24 Some examples already exist e.g., http://www.konsumentenverband.ch/ ; http://www.
organicconsumers.org/ (see also Tregear et al. 1994 ;Browneetal. 2000 ; Harper and Makatouni
2002 ; McEachern and Mcclean 2002 ; Tarkiainen and Sundqvist 2005 ; de Magistris and Gracia
2008 ).