The solution is beyond the opposition. Breaking down the fence between conventional and organic values to secure trust and integrity

Sibylle Bui (1) , Claire Lamine (1) , Marianne Cerf (2)

1 ECODEVELOPPEMENT - Unité de recherche d'Écodéveloppement
2 LISIS - Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Sciences, Innovations, Sociétés

Organic farming is a good candidate to analyze sociotechnical transition processes towards alternative farming systems. Our hypothesis is that mid-scale business forms can allow niches to gain enough momentum to trigger a transition process. Studying the case of a French producers’ organization whose share of organic products increased from 10% to 70% in the past twenty years, we analyze how this organization succeeded in maintaining organic farming’s values through upscaling and outscaling processes. Our first results highlight how intermediate business actors can apply conventional development tools and strategies, such as vertical integration and horizontal concentration, as a strong lever for organic agriculture.

Mots clés: organic farming; alternative farming systems; french agricultural cooperative; permaculture; agricultural cooperative

Mots clés: agriculture biologique; agriculture alternative; coopérative agricole

Domaines: Environnement et Société

Sibylle Bui, Claire Lamine, Marianne Cerf. The solution is beyond the opposition. Breaking down the fence between conventional and organic values to secure trust and integrity. 25. ESRS Congress "Rural resilience and vulnerability: The rural as locus of solidarity and conflict in time of crisis, Jul 2013, Florence, Italy. 392 p. ⟨hal-01713755⟩