ADOPTION OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: AN EXPLORATION OF THE FACTORS INFLUENCING CONVERSION TO ORGANIC FARMING IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONVENTIONALIZATION DEBATE

A considerable body of literature about organic farming has emerged in the past two decades to better understand how farmers choose between two alternatives, 'adopt' or 'do not adopt. The literature has mainly focused on the classical comparison of conventional and organic farmers. Although new research suggests that the factors influencing decision making process of farmers under conversion should be taken into consideration, the corresponding literature in research is underrepresented. The dynamic development in organic agriculture since 1980s has brought an argument so-called conventionalization hypothesis into the literature for the accelerated organic movement. In the study, we aim to identify the factors influencing conversion decision among farmers in the context of the conventionalization literature, and to empirically investigate whether there are tendencies towards conventionalization. Quantitative analysis of primary data from 394 Turkish raisin producers by using multiple comparison tests showed significant differences between the farmer groups. The results of the multinomial logit model revealed implications with respect to basic determinants of the conventionalization such as farm size, specialization, and profit-oriented characteristics. Additionally, results indicated that 'in-conversion' farmers (the newcomers) likely behave in line with the theory by showing less concern about environmental issues.