Agricoltura biologica, convenzionalizzazione e catene del valore: un’analisi in Calabria

Organic agriculture has experienced an important and progressive growth, first as a movement alternative to the hegemony of the agro-industrial model, then through a process of institutionalization and mainstreaming of sustainability and quality, in national as well as European policies, and within market strategies, under the environmental-corporate food regime. However, international studies have detected a process of conventionalization of organic agriculture, to the detriment of its economic, social and environmental sustainability. The objective of this article is to question the change dynamics that organic agriculture in Calabria is undergoing, by evaluating the role of certification systems, the relationship with large-scale retail trade, the vertical and horizontal integration of agri-food chains, the condition of wage labourers. It is argued that in Italy, as well as in other countries, process of conventionalization of the organic agri-food within the mechanisms of value chains is underway. The analysis is based on a research activity carried out in Calabria between 2013 and 2018, through interviews to different actors.