overcoming the barriers to organic adoption in the united states a look at pragmatic conventional producers in texas克服障碍有机采用在美国一看务实传统生产者在德克萨斯州.pdfVIP

Sustainability 2010, 2, 163-188; doi:10.3390/su2010163 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 /journal/sustainability Article Overcoming the Barriers to Organic Adoption in the United States: A Look at Pragmatic Conventional Producers in Texas Douglas H. Constance * and Jin Young Choi Department of Sociology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas 77341-2446, USA; E-Mail: jyc002@ * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: soc_dhc@; Tel.: +1-936-294-1514; Fax: +1-936-294-3573. Received: 7 December 2009 / Accepted: 5 January 2010 / Published: 8 January 2010 Abstract: Organics is the one of the fastest growing segments in food sales. Though the amount of certified organic land is increasing, the supply of organic foods lags behind demand in the United States. The reasons for this gap include a lack of government support for organics, and the peculiarities of organics as an innovation. In an attempt to close this gap, and increase the environmental sustainability of U.S. agriculture, this paper has two objectives. The first is to document the structural and institutional constraints to organic adoption. This is accomplished through a review of organic programs and policies in the U.S., in particular the National Organic Program. The second objective is to investigate the predictors of interest and the perceived barriers to organic adoption among pragmatic conventional producers in Texas, compared to organic and conventional producers. This is