Conviction seeking efficacy: Sustainable agriculture and the politics of co-optation

Proponents of sustainable agriculture seek deeply rooted social changes, but to advance this agenda requires political credibility and work with diverse partners. As the literature on political co-optation makes clear, the tension between conviction and credibility is persistent and unavoidable; not a problem to be solved so much as a built-in condition of movement politics. Drawing on a case history of California's largest sustainable agriculture organization, a structural assessment is made of the strategic choices facing movement leaders, organizational tensions that accompany these choices, and perceived gains and losses. The case history demonstrates how movement leaders craft middle range strategies that adapt to political circumstances while retaining attachments to core values and constituencies. These strategies are ripe with tradeoffs, placing demands on leaders who must implement them in a spirit that sustains organizational vitality while broadening political and social impact. But they also enlarge the democratic sensibilities of movement leaders, increasing their ability to listen, learn, and forge alliances based on shared goals rather than similar motives.