Organic Certification and the Rationalization of Alternative Food and Agriculture: Sustainable Shrimp Farming in Indonesia - Re-Thinking Organic Food and Farming in a Changing World - page 54

their shrimp as organic and receive a price premium. Additionally, audit results were
documented and if a farmer failed three consecutive audits they faced termination
of their membership. Thus, with the introduction of audits, formal sanctions also
became part of the project.
The production site also underwent an annual external audit by Green Soil.
Specifically, a team of the auditors visited Bojokulu annually and audited the
efficacy of the ICS. External auditors stayed in Bojokulu for approximately a week
and audited a random sample of the documentation filled in by both member farmers
and PA's inspectors. The team of external auditors also visited a random sample of
member ponds and questioned member farmers. Similar to the internal audit, the
external audit also used formal audits. That is, if the project passed the audit, then
certification was renewed and shrimp produced in Bojokulu could continue to be
labeled as organic.
In addition to audits of the production site, the certification process itself
was also audited. Specifically, Green Soil was audited to ensure its capability as
an independent governance body. Commonly referred to as accreditation today,
independent accreditor organizations audit certifiers to ensure their efficacy and
technical competency in undertaking certification. 9 Thus, Green Soil was annu-
ally audited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
(IFOAM) to ensure that its certification process was objective, transparent, and
efficient. 10
In sum, with organic certification, a formal, multi-layered audit system replaced
relations of trust in the sustainable shrimp project. In contrast to relations of
trust, which stress personal relationships and respect, the use of audits embodies
notions of objectivity and calculability. Furthermore, certification also introduced
the processes of discipline and control into the sustainable shrimp project.

3.5 Conclusion

This chapter examines an alternative agrifood initiative that sought to advance envi-
ronmental sustainability and the economic welfare of shrimp farmers in Bojukulu,
Indonesia. The focus is on how organic certification affected the principles and
practices of the project. Specifically, I argue that with organic certification and the

9 Accreditation emerged largely in response to the proliferation of third-party certifiers and kinds of
certification. For example, multiple third-party certifiers certifying to the same set of standards, but
using different audit practices may lead to inconsistencies in the certification process. Moreover,
suppliers of a good or service may be financially burdened by multiple audits, if different
purchasers or users require different certifiers/certifications. Thus, accreditor organizations were
developed to “regulate” third-party certifiers and address these potential problems.
10 Furthermore, it should be noted that accreditor organizations are often also subjected to audits.
Accreditor organizations may have their own operations audited through membership in a global
organization of accreditors—i.e., an accreditor association. Thus, similar to how accreditor