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2016 Autumn | Agriculture and Food Systems, Business & Sustainability, Education & Outreach, Sustainability

Motivations and barriers to small farm organic certification

Student(s):

Frances Olson

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Sarah Geurkink

Partner(s):

  • The UW Farm

Faculty advisor(s):

Eli Wheat, Program on the Environment, University of Washington

Today, the U.S. agricultural system is dominated by industrial agriculture, a system of chemically intensive food production with little environmental consideration. Organic agriculture provides a viable alternative, and certification of organic practices provides an opportunity for farmers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Through a literature review and interviews with small farmers, this project examined the USDA organic certification program and determined some of the possible motivations (price premium, market access, etc.) and barriers, (cost, time, etc.) to its adoption by small farms—ultimately highlighting the need to find new ways of encouraging participation in the program.