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