Organic farmers face persistent barriers to adopting diversification practices in California’s Central Coast

Authors

Liz Carlisle, University of California, Santa Barbara
Kenzo Esquivel, University of California, Berkley
Patrick Baur, University of Rhode Island
Nina F. Ichikawa, Berkeley Food Institute
Elissa M. Olimpi, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Joanna Ory, University of California, Berkley
Hannah Waterhouse, University of California, Berkley
Alastair Iles, University of California, Berkley
Daniel S. Karp, University of California, Davis
Claire Kremen, The University of British Columbia
Timothy M. Bowles, University of California, Berkley

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-1-2022

Abstract

In the face of myriad environmental challenges associated with industrial agriculture, some farmers and researchers have looked to diversified farming systems as a promising alternative. Despite well-documented ecological benefits, diversification practices remain rare in many regions of the U.S, even amongst organic farmers. Our study focuses on organic farmers in the Central Coast region of California, an area that has played a crucial role in the rise of organic agriculture over the last several decades. Through 20 interviews with farmers who all grow lettuce and 8 interviews with technical assistance providers, we investigate the persistent barriers that growers in this region face in adopting diversification practices including cover cropping, compost application, crop rotation, insectary strips, and hedgerows. We find that high land rents, the predominance of short-term leases, stringent food safety standards, and other supply chain pressures significantly hamper the adoption of diversification practices. In order to surmount these barriers and increase adoption, solutions must be pursued at three interconnected levels: innovation at the farm level, and policy change at the technical and structural levels. Locally-informed, integrated, and innovative policies across these three levels must be explored to support the creation of a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable food system.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Volume

46

Issue

8

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Carlisle, Liz, Kenzo Esquivel, Patrick Baur, Nina F. Ichikawa, Elissa M. Olimpi, Joanna Ory, Hannah Waterhouse, Alastair Iles, Daniel S. Karp, Claire Kremen, and Timothy M. Bowles. "Organic farmers face persistent barriers to adopting diversification practices in California’s Central Coast." Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems 46, 8 (2022). doi: 10.1080/21683565.2022.2104420.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License