Agronomic and systemic challenges in organic agriculture exhibit asymmetric economies of scale

CONTEXT Despite a policy emphasis on supporting the expansion of certified organic agriculture to address environmental degradation and climate change, the rate of growth of organic acreage in the United States has slowed in the last few years. There is a limited literature on how farm scale and type influence the challenges that growers face. OBJECTIVE This paper explores how the scale of different farm operations as well as organic farm type – either fully organic, mixed organic and conventional, or transitioning to organic – influence the extent of agronomic and systemic challenges that growers face. METHODS This analysis uses a quantitative survey of 350 organic growers in California, complemented by semi-structured, qualitative interviews with actors across the industry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest an asymmetry between larger growers who face greater agronomic challenges such as managing weeds and pests or incorporating agroecological practices, versus smaller growers who face more systemic challenges such as finding adequate markets and regulation. We argue that economies of scale do not operate to the same extent in organic agriculture, which makes scaling up to larger operations (that are often mixed with conventional production) more challenging. SIGNIFICANCE Targeted technical advisory and differential resource supports for each of these producer subgroups might help alleviate challenges associated with success in organic farming.