1. Introduction
This report examines the initiation and implementation of sustainable farming practices using the example of organic farming in the Canterbury region. It explores two important factors influencing the adoption of organic farming practices, namely: how producers access knowledge of organic matters; and how the gender of participants affects their experience of organic farming and industry participation. Sociological literature has increasingly recognised the importance of different types of knowledge to farming systems (Feldman and Welch 1995; Hassenein and Kloppenburg 1995), however little is known about the relationship between types of knowledge and the uptake of sustainable farming practices. Likewise, men’s and women’s different experiences of, and contributions to, farming have been documented at length in a range of academic literature (Alston 1995; Anderson 1993; Feldman and Welch 1995; Whatmore 1991), however, the influence of gendered work patterns and interaction have not yet been investigated as an influence in the initiation and implementation of organic farming practices.
While the main level of inquiry of this report is the production unit, organic producers are acknowledged as only one of a number of key stakeholders in the industry. Consequently, the study has investigated how both producers and other stakeholders have worked with definitions of organic systems and participated in industry practices which influence the maintenance (or expansion) of such farming systems.
1.1 Key objectives
The study has been guided by three key objectives, namely:
1. Stakeholder knowledge and implementation of sustainable farming practices.
This objective identified how men and women adopt organic farming practices within units producing for the organic food sector, by:
- defining the processes by which producers learn about organics;
- identifying access to information about organics; and
- comparing men’s and women’s participation in decision making and implementation of organic farming practices on such units.
2. Community participation and the adoption of sustainable farming practices.
The second objective identified the degree of community participation in adoption of organic farming practices, by:
- identifying stakeholders’ access to the ways in which the organics community define what are legitimate and economically viable organic farming practices; and
- reviewing stakeholders’ participation in community and industry decision making processes affecting organic farming practices.
3. Facilitating further adoption of sustainable farming practices.
This final objective aimed to enhance community participation in the adoption of organic farming practices in the Canterbury region by:
- identifying farm and community barriers to the uptake of organic farming practices; and
- facilitating proposals and actions to address these barriers.
1.2 Key definitions
This paper uses several terms which require definition. The first of these, organic farming (or production), can be defined as a system which:
seeks to produce food of optimum quality, and to manage productive ecosystems according to a total concept that endeavours to make them sustainable and non-polluting of the environment, while providing an appropriate level of income to the producer(s), families and communities.
(New Zealand Biological Producers and Consumers Council, 1994:(A)2).
In addition, two other terms are used throughout the paper to represent the wide range of people producing organic goods. These have been selected to include both farmers and growers who operate on particular properties, and beekeepers whose activities are more widespread. Thus, the term producers refers to those individuals in any form of organic food (and fibre) production, while a unit is a property or business where such production is organised.
Another term used in this paper which requires definition is that of stakeholder. A stakeholder is a member of a group which shares some experiences and interests in the industry. Stakeholders in the organic industry include: producers, certifiers, processors, retailers, educators, and the media. Each of these groups play different roles and have different interests in the industry. It is also important to note that individuals may participate in more than one stakeholder group.
Finally, the paper uses a definition of community to refer to the organics ‘community’ or groups of stakeholders who interact to shape the organics industry. In this way, the study moves beyond the level of the production unit to consider the experiences and practices of a variety of stakeholders who have an effect on the adoption and maintenance of organic farming in Canterbury.
1.3 Structure of paper
This paper is organised in six sections. The following section provides an overview of the development of organic agriculture in New Zealand. The third section introduces the case study area and outlines recent developments in the practice of organic agriculture in Canterbury. Section four describes how the study was conducted and the findings are then discussed in section five. The last section states conclusions and puts forward some policy implications of the study.
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Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
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