Of the small farms that were found to be highly successful, the formation of a social-business contract was the most important contribution to their success. This suggests that small farmers who wish to make their living farming organically will need to dedicate significant energy and time to developing a long-term marketing strategy that is based on social relationships. The two most important threats to farmers were increasing costs of organic inputs and interstate and international competition. Farms that adopted industrial methods of production and marketing such as input substitution and vertical market chain integration struggled the most.
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