Sociological perspectives on organic agriculture: from pioneer to policy

Sociological perspectives on organic agriculture: from pioneer to policy

Georgina C Holt & Matthew Reed (Eds)

CABI International, Wallingford, 2006, 336 pp., £55.00/$110.00/[euro]90.00 (hardback), ISBN 1 84593 038X

Sociological Perspectives on Organic Agriculture provides a rich understanding of the development and growth of organic food production and marketing as a social movement over a quarter of a century, along with current research on a variety of topics related to the organic movement and organic marketing. The purpose of the book is to reflect on the role of rural sociology in explaining the growth and development of organic agriculture and current trends. The book emanates from research conducted by a growing community of experience and contributions from members of the society and participants at the European Society of Rural Sociology meeting in Sligo, Ireland, in 2003 and the International Rural Sociology Association meeting in Trondheim, Norway, in 2004.

The editors explain in the introductory chapter that although interest in food quality has been constant throughout history, the concerns of the affluent now include not only the nutritional value of food but also how it is produced and marketed. More recent concerns about food quality in such societies have shifted to how producers are treated, environmental and sustainability issues, and various ethical issues related to, for example, animal welfare. These concerns have brought about a considerable change in the way consumers view food and the way the producer produces it, giving rise to a new social movement that challenges conventional food production and marketing practices.

Following this introduction, the book has five sections containing chapters by a variety of authors that focus roughly on:

1. Organic movements in northwestern Europe.

2. Organic food quality and the consumer.

3. Problems of organic farmers around the globe.

4. Principles and practices of organic farming.

5. New directions for organic sector development.

In the introductory and concluding chapters, the editors discuss and reflect on organic theory and philosophy so as to tie the diverse chapters together. The theoretical discourse in these chapters is extremely rich, but sadly this depth of subject development does not run through the chapters. The editors' core message is that, since organic agriculture is based not just on ecological considerations but on an ideology built from systems thinking, research on organics requires novel approaches. The authors of the chapters are a diverse community of rural sociologists from across the globe, but most of them based in Europe and America, who provide an interesting and varied collection of case studies, research findings and personal reflections. Many of them have played significant roles in the debates around organic production, marketing and protection over the past 25 years. They apply diverse theoretical approaches and methodologies, drawing on rural sociology, food socio-anthropology, agricultural economics, business studies, marketing and political science to investigate elements of the organic movement and marketing of organic produce in a range of developed countries, including Europe, America, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

The 18 chapters cover diverse topics from across the globe, such as development perspectives, consumer perceptions, willingness to pay, certification and policy considerations.1 The coherence of the chapters and their contributions to the five sections is not very clear. They come across as a collection of unrelated research findings and reflections, and are written in various styles. The editors could have more woven these chapters more closely into a well-developed argument or series of case studies. However, each chapter does make a valuable contribution to understanding the multiple facets of organic production, marketing and policy issues, and offers studies for a wide range of readers.

This reviewer recommends this book for scholars and students studying various aspects of organic agriculture and its role and possibilities for farmers and marketers and the challenges and concerns for both producers and consumers in developed economies, and for readers interested in the sociology of organics. It is a useful overview of the development of the organic movement in developed economies and the theoretical underpinnings of this movement, and a practical reflection on the various challenges and opportunities faced in organic production and marketing in these countries. It contains thought-provoking lessons for policy and practice related to the development of modern social movements that challenge social transformation. What it lacks is consideration for the role of organic agriculture in traditional societies in developing countries and the role these could play in the global marketing of such produce.

Notes

¹See details at www.cabi.org/bk_BookDisplay.asp?PID=1914 Accessed 30 April 2009.