The emergence of an organic food market in Australia: an economic sociological approach

Drawing on economic sociology, this thesis provides the first major exploration of how the market in Australian organic food initially emerged from the early 1980s. The research tracks several key organisational projects, that were primarily driven by the sustainable agriculture movement, and geared toward transforming mainstream food production away from the conventional chemical-based model. The findings suggest that these projects gained enough legitimacy with key stakeholders – such as state departments, farmers and consumers – to establish an alternative market niche, but the broader project of mainstream acceptance was significantly limited. In large part this was due to a countermobalisation from a coalition of entrenched market players with interests in continuing conventional agriculture. Actors such as the chemical industry deployed extensive resources to reaffirm the status quo, albeit one that accommodated organic food as a marginal member.