eNEWS
June 2009 > Consumer attitudes, marketing opportunities for transitional produce part of upcoming research
FOG received a Specialty Crop Block
Grant from the Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services
in March 2009 to investigate the most
pressing production and marketing issues
faced by organic and transitional specialty
crop producers.
The number of certified organic farms
in Florida has increased in recent years
by approximately 20 percent, indicating
an interest in organic certification for
specialty crops, both by new and existing
fruit and vegetables growers. Despite these
figures, it is not clear whether the growth
in Florida’s organic agriculture is occurring
through the transition of conventional to
organic agriculture.
As part of the grant, FOG will:
• Learn the most pressing production
and marketing issues faced by organic
and transitional specialty crop
producers;
• Discern the factors most important to
conventional producers in deciding
whether to transition to organic
management;
• Establish an understanding of Florida
consumers’ attitudes towards organic
agriculture, specifically concerning
transitional agriculture and market
recognition of transitional produce;
• Engage Florida-based retailers and
nationwide food processors to consider
the possibilities for creating viable
markets for transitional produce;
• Identify possible regulatory barriers
to successful adoption of organic
production practices and farm
viability;
• Identify potential solutions and
future research priorities to address
the needs and challenges discovered
through consumer and specialty crop
producer research;
• Allow researchers and service
providers to focus their efforts on
producers’ most pressing needs; and
• Provide concurrent support to FOG’s
ongoing EPA-supported project to
assist Florida specialty crop growers’
transition to organic production or
their reduction in use of pesticides
through adoption of sustainable
farming practices.
Through this grant, FOG hopes to acquire
an understanding of the potential social,
political and biological influences that
affect agricultural systems that will help
researchers and extension educators
develop strategies that will lead to
more widely accepted and used discoveries or explanations.
For more information or to volunteer to participate in the program contact Florida Organic Growers at 352.377.6345 or email fog@foginfo.org.