A Balancing Act: Juggling Economic Realities, Environmental Practices and Ethical Convictions

Mary Richardson

What do organic farmers in Quebec have to say about the sustainability of their own farming practices and of organic farming generally in the context of our current food system? What are their perspectives on the economic, social and environmental sustainability of their farms? What values do they try to incorporate into their way of farming to ensure long-term viability both of the individual farm and of the organic sector as a whole?

This paper proposes an overview of the issues surrounding sustainability from the perspective of organic farmers, based on 40 in-depth interviews with organic farmers from a wide diversity of sectors in Quebec.

Conclusions will examine some of the tensions in the organic movement, for example, between the move towards local food systems and the reality of global markets, or between compliance with organic regulations and broader understandings of ecological food production.

Full Paper

Diagram

Source
Presented at the Social Research in Organic Agriculture Symposium. Guelph, Ontario. January 2006


Author Location and Affiliation
Département d’anthropologie, Université Laval,mryrchrdsn@yahoo.ca


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