Organic farmers facing the processes of institutionalization and conventionalization. A longitudinal study in Belgium

Author

Denise Van Dam and Jean Nizet
Additional contact information

Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, 2014, vol. 95, issue 4, pages 415-436

Abstract: In this paper, we examine how professional practices of organic farmers and their justification of it have evolved over the past 8-10 years. We interviewed thirty Belgian organic farmers, the first time, in 2001-2003, and again in 2010-11. We draw on theories of institutionalization and conventionalization of organic agriculture and complete them with the theory of justification, especially by referring to an ecological order of justification. We adopt a longitudinal device and proceed by abduction. The research results show that for the majority of the interviewed farmers, the effects of the processes of institutionalization and conventionalization are relatively limited. For these subjects, the ecological references do not diminish in importance, but are transformed. More specifically, those farmers innovate by “accommodating” the ecological order with the industrial and commercial. A minority of the interviewees benefit from the processes of institutionalization and conventionalization and another minority is excluded from organic farming.

Keywords: organic farmers; organic farming; conventionalization; institutionalization; ecological order of justification; longitudinal approach; Belgium (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations Track citations by RSS feed

Downloads: (external link)
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/241981/2/RAEStud-95-4-415-436.pdf

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link:http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rae:jourae:v:95:y:2014:i:4:p:415-436

Access Statistics for this article

Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement is currently edited by Julien Salanié

More articles in Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement from  INRA Department of Economics Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Nathalie Saux-Nogues (raestud@rennes.inra.fr).

For further details log on website :
http://econpapers.repec.org/article/raejourae/v_3a95_3ay_3a2014_3ai_3a4_3ap_3a415-436.htm