History of Organic Farming in California and Pennsylvania
Open Access
- Author:
- Roberts, Natalie Elisabeth
- Area of Honors:
- History
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Bryan Lee Mcdonald, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Michael James Milligan, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- organic
farming
agriculture
Pennsylvania
California - Abstract:
- This thesis examines the expansion of the organic farming industry in the United States with particular attention paid to California and Pennsylvania. The concept of modern organic agriculture began with the writings of Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Steiner developed a form of more sustainable agriculture to contrast with the growing use of chemicals and machinery in conventional agriculture. The work of Steiner inspired the likes of Sir Albert Howard – known as the father of organic agriculture – whose revolutionary development of the Indore Process hastened a new generation of organic farmers. His colleague in the United States, J. I. Rodale, popularized the movement with housewives and those looking to live a healthy life. The work of these three men encouraged a niche group of farmers looking for alternatives to conventional agriculture and consumers looking for alternatives to conventional produce to convert to organic. Farmers in the western states, particularly California, transitioned to organic farming en masse, warranting the establishment of third party certifiers to police the efforts. In Pennsylvania, farmers and politicians were unable to develop a statewide definition of organic prompting confusion for consumers. The inconsistency of the states limited interstate commerce for organic products and left consumers guessing if the products lining the shelves of grocery stores were truly organic. For reasons of consumer protection, largely motivated by notorious food scares in the 1980s, national standards defining organic were established in 1990.