From farm to table: The organic vegetable commodity chain of northern California

This paper explores the structure and dynamics of organic commodity systems in California. Employing a commodity systems analysis, we conducted approximately seventy semi-structured interviews with key players along the northern California organic vegetable commodity chain, looking at the internal dynamics of each node as well as the linkages between them. Codification of the term 'organic,' which has contributed to the recent growth in the organic foods industry, has also created economic rents and unique opportunities for agribusiness accumulation. We argue that agribusiness capital is penetrating the most high-value segments of organic vegetable commodity chains, despite the prevalence of practices and ideologies which countervail trends in conventional food provision. Agronomic and marketing practices increasingly mirror those of conventional agriculture. We also found several examples of 'appropriationism,' where processes once integral to the farm have been taken off and reconfigured as inputs, and 'substitutionism,' where industrial activity accounts for a rising proportion of value added.