Strategies of organic production on family farms of Montevideo and Canelones

Abstract

This document presents the results of a study which focuses on organic production strategies developed by family farms located in two departments of the Southern region of Uruguay. The main theoretical streams that frame the study are the current concepts of sustainable development and sustainable agriculture, and the diverse trends within that paradigm. Case studies was the methodology used to examine the strategies, for
which ten farms, either totally organic or in transition to being totally organic, were selected. Farm units are analyzed from a holistic perspective, taking into account all the components and the interactions among them. Specifically, the strategies examined are: criteria for selecting crops, crop management, natural and energetic resource management, plant health management, post-harvest management, use of labor force, marketing,
technical assistance and training, relationship with the community, and transition strategies to organic production. In addition, farmers´motivations and objectives related to agriculture as a way of life, and farmers´ values and opinions related to organic agriculture are examined . Finally, a comparative analysis between the strategies used by the farmers included in the study and the components of the alternative and conventional paradigms as described by Beus and Dunlap (1990) is presented.