In order to understand the relationships between the production and marketing of organic products, INRA researchers analysed the evolution of production and marketing methods, not only at the transition to organic farming but also in the longer term.
At the Avignon Research Centre, scientists in the Ecodevelopment Unit (Science for Action and Sustainable Development Division, SAD) thus carried out a series of interviews with 18 market gardeners in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region who market their produce either through short marketing channels (direct sales at the farm gate, via an AMAP (association for the maintenance of local farming), in markets or in organic food outlets) or through long marketing channels (via producer organisations, wholesale platforms or trading companies).
Their findings showed that producers working through short channels sought to supply a broad range of products over a long period, while those using longer channels were often specialised in lead products (winter salads; tomatoes, melons or courgettes in the summer) during short periods (mainly winter in south-eastern France, with most products destined for export). At the farm level, production structures thus differed quite markedly (in terms of total surface area, the breakdown between open fields and greenhouses, the organisation of labour), as did the crop management systems adopted.
As well as this classic separation, the authors also determined a third and increasingly widespread type of grower, who uses different outlets or different activities. This alternative allows them to respond to the constraints affecting their production methods, and to spread risk. Thus some producers using a long marketing channel in winter switch to a short channel for the rest of the year so as to occupy their permanent staff. Other growers supply a single commercial entity with vegetables, but diversify their other crops (wine, fruits, olives) and outlets, or even their activities (agrotourism). Finally, another group combine a main outlet, assured by contractual arrangements with the commercial organisation, and secondary outlets in segments with a complementary quality. This path enables the breakdown of production as a function of the quality criteria of each structure, rather than seeking to focus on a single, high-quality segment, which is problematic in organic farming.
This study also showed that changes to production and marketing methods do not just occur during the legally-required period of transition to organic status, but also persist thereafter.
The research team also determined reasons that could explain these changes (time spent in marketing activities, the commercial insecurity of some outlets, constraints regarding the quantities harvested, etc.), the opportunities available for a change in direction and bottlenecks. Thus, changes to distribution circuits are mainly oriented at present towards the development of short channels because of a tightening of the quality criteria imposed by major retailers and exporters, and the reduction in price differentials between organic and conventional products.
The intermediate pathway, combining both short and long marketing channels, thus constitutes an interesting alternative that can improve economic profitability while enabling the development of different cropping methods in a context of organic production.
Reference:
How do farming systems cope with marketing channel requirements in organic horticulture? The case of market-gardening in southeastern France.
Mireille Navarrete, INRA, Unité SAD Ecodéveloppement, Avignon.
Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 33 : 552-565, 2009.
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