Organic Futures: Struggling for Sustainability on the Small Farm (Yale Agrarian Studies Series)

Walking through nearly any grocery store, contemporary American consumers are bound to encounter organic food. At any of the myriad of farmers’ markets that have sprung up in cities and small communities across the United States, shoppers can expect to see claims about the provenance and farming practices employed to grow everything from prized heirloom tomatoes to seemingly mundane heads of garlic. But behind the scenes, critical scholarship has shown that organic farming increasingly resembles the industrial food system organic pioneers set out to challenge. Faced with the pressures of the modern agricultural economy many farmers have conventionalized, intensifying how they farm in the face of tremendous competition and cost. Beyond the organic labels, emblazoned on products at the supermarket and the glistening bushel baskets arrayed in market stalls, are farmers, many of whom are trying to do their best to achieve sustainability in today’s food system. This book offers a glimpse into this world, through an ethnography of a small New England farm and the people who work in its fields. It sheds light on how small-scale farmers navigate the difficult terrain between ideals of sustainability and the economic realities of contemporary farming. Using new theories of economic sociology, this book moves beyond the current debates about the conventionalization of organic agriculture. Instead, it takes a relational approach to organic practices—investigating the complex ways market pressures, moral and emotional attachments, privilege, and personal relationships intersect to shape the everyday experiences of agriculture for today’s organic farmers and their consumers. In Recent Years, The Popularity Of Organically Grown Produce Has Exploded. In 2014, Organic Fruits And Vegetables Accounted For 12% Of All Produce Sales In The United States, With $39 Billion In Consumer Sales Reported For 2015. As A Federally Recognized Niche Market Within The Agricultural Mainstream, Organic Farming Is Increasingly On Display In American Grocery Stores. Yet The Organic Food Most Americans Consume Today Is Produced By An Industrial Food System At Odds With The Practices And Ideals Of Small-scale Farmers. Taking An Ethnographic Approach, The Fieldwork By Connor Fitzmaurice And Brian Gareau At A Small New England Organic Farm Sheds Light On How Farmers Navigate The Difficult Terrain Between Practices Of Sustainability And The Economic Realities Of Contemporary Agriculture. Drawing On Extensive Research, Fitzmaurice And Gareau Examine The Historical Context, Complexities, And Viability Of Nonconventional Organic Farming Practices: Practices That Seek To Balance Ecology And Community With The Business Of Agriculture. Part 1. Market. Making Sense Of Organics : A Brief History -- Organic Hits Mainstream -- Why Supermarket Organic Matters -- Part 2. Land. Prelude : A Sense Of Place -- Amid The Chard : Cultivating The Diverse Landscapes And Practices Of A New England Organic Farm -- Who Farms? -- A Sea Of Brown Bags And The Organic Label : Organic Marketing Strategies In Practice -- No-nonsense Organic : Negotiating Everyday Concerns About The Environment, Health, And The Aesthetics Of Farming -- Conclusion : An Alternative Agriculture For Our Time -- Appendix : Method And Approach. Connor J. Fitzmaurice And Brian J. Gareau. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 267-288) And Index. Part 1. Market. Making sense of organics : a brief history -- Organic hits mainstream -- Why supermarket organic matters -- Part 2. Land. Prelude : a sense of place -- Amid the chard : cultivating the diverse landscapes and practices of a New England organic farm -- Sea of brown bags and the organic label : organic marketing strategies in practice -- No-nonsense organic : negotiating everyday concerns about the environment, health, and the aesthetics of farming -- Conclusion : an alternative agriculture for our time -- Appendix : method and approach.;Walking through nearly any grocery store, American consumers will encounter organic food. At any of the myriad of farmers' markets that have sprung up across the United States, shoppers can expect to see claims about the provenance and farming practices employed to grow everything. But behind the scenes, scholarship has shown that organic farming increasingly resembles the industrial food system organic pioneers set out to challenge. Faced with the pressures of the modern economy many farmers have conventionalized, intensifying how they farm in the face of tremendous competition and cost. This work offers a glimpse into this world, through an ethnography of a small New England farm and the people who work in its fields. An exploration of the lived experience of small-scale organic farmers in New England that unpacks how they balance their ideals with economic realities In recent years, the popularity of organically grown produce has exploded. In 2014, organic fruits and vegetables accounted for 12% of all produce sales in the United States, with $39 billion in consumer sales reported for 2015. As a federally recognized niche market within the agricultural mainstream, organic farming is increasingly on display in American grocery stores. Yet the organic food most Americans consume today is produced by an industrial food system at odds with the practices and ideals of small-scale farmers. Taking an ethnographic approach, the fieldwork by Connor Fitzmaurice and Brian Gareau at a small New England organic farm sheds light on how farmers navigate the difficult terrain between practices of sustainability and the economic realities of contemporary agriculture. Drawing on extensive research, Fitzmaurice and Gareau examine the historical context, complexities, and viability of nonconventional organic farming practices: practices that seek to balance ecology and community with the business of agriculture.

A bold and original study of German missionaries in China, who catalyzed a revolution in thinking among European Christians about the nature of Christianity itself.

In this accessibly written and empirically based study, Albert Wu documents how German missionaries - chastened by their failure to convert Chinese people to Christianity - reconsidered their attitudes toward Chinese culture and Confucianism. In time, their increased openness catalyzed a revolution in thinking among European Christians about the nature of Christianity itself. At a moment when Europe's Christian population is falling behind those of South America and Africa, Wu's provocative analysis sheds light on the roots of Christianity's global shift.