The Political Economy of Organic Agricultural
Research in the U.S.

Mark Lipson

Organic agricultural research has begun to emerge as a legitimate pursuit within mainstream public programs and institutions. Research on organic systems is becoming recognized as an important challenge, if not yet as a scientific frontier of great potential (which I argue that it is). The quality and quality of future institutional support for organic agricultural knowledge-building will be shaped by the "external" political and economic environment, as well as by the "internal" dynamics of organizing, priority-setting and information exchange (each of which may also be seen as features of the political economy of organic agriculture). A brief review of these various factors is offered, along with a more detailed proposal for developing an organic agricultural research agenda (i.e., the Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research).

The political and economic trends leading up to this transition include the growth of the organic marketplace and production sector, the impacts of pesticide regulation (and regulatory failure), the exceptional public reaction to USDA’s 1997 proposal on national organic standards, and documentation and Congressional recognition of the federal research system’s (intentional) neglect. Certain thresholds in scientific knowledge and academic credibility (which are partially products of SARE and related programs) are also crucial elements in the new institutional status. These factors have created a "window of opportunity" for institutionalization of organic production and marketing research.

The current (calendar 2000) opportunities and obstacles for new and existing research pursuits are dramatic. For the first time, there are new USDA research and education initiatives explicitly devoted to organic agriculture. The fate of these proposals now moves into the congressional arena. The promulgation of a new USDA regulation for organic standards will potentially affect the research funding issue, but the direction of such effects (obstacle or opportunity) are unpredictable at this time. Simultaneously, juxtaposition of organic farming with transgenic agricultural systems is a highly polarized situation that will also "spill-over" into efforts to authorize and fund organic research programs. Again, the potential effect of this juxtaposition may be beneficial or harmful.

Existing "islands" or "toeholds" of public-sector organic research do exist and vary widely in their character and content (examples are provided). These programs and projects can be characterized by variables including amounts of resources allocated, proportion of "soft" vs. "hard" funding, level of grower involvement, and (perhaps) the degree of departure from traditional academic reductionism. Early analysis and evaluation of these pioneer programs is crucial to the effective design of future programs.

Effective deployment of whatever resources are allocated to organic research will require a strategic approach to priority-setting and problem-statement formulation. Defining a successful scientific agenda for the understanding and improvement of organic agricultural systems may begin with data provided by the Organic Farming Research Foundation’s "National Organic Farmers’ Survey." The biennial National Survey includes data describing organic producers’ research and information needs and priorities. In addition, existing organic systems research projects underway can provide a rich set of questions about system behavior and underlying processes. These questions need to be drawn out and developed into hypotheses and problem statements.

A worthwhile organic research agenda will not replicate the existing research system’s tendencies towards reductionism and extraction. A whole-systems methodology is necessary, and can only emerge from effective collaboration of scientists with growers who are whole-systems practitioners. Such collaboration should be characterized by a peer-level relationship among participants, as opposed to a "customer-provider" one.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation has organized a multi-year project to help develop a grower-scientist collaboration for building an organic agricultural research agenda. The project is known as "SCOAR," for the Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research.

Mark Lipson
Policy Program Director
Organic Farming Research Foundation
PO Box 440
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Tel: (831) 426-4006
mark@ofrf.org
www.ofrf.org

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