Dissertation Research: A "New" Environmentalism or Agribusiness as Usual: A Case Study of California's Organic Produce Sector

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Julie Guthman University of California, Berkeley The doctoral dissertation research will examine the genesis, development and character of the California organic produce sector to demonstrate how a particular notion of `organic` has been constituted politically, and how this definition influences the structure and geography of the sector. The study builds on pre-dissertation research and involves the collection, compilation and analysis of both historical and contemporary survey data on the scale and structure of the sector. Qualitative data on the organization of production will be gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and observations on site visits. In making explicit connections between producers' agronomic practices and governance and the way the sector is regulated, the work will advance our understanding of how public policy and third party certification shapes the burgeoning field of sustainable agriculture.