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The importance of organic farming for rural policy in Europe has increased over the past decade. It is perceived to unite two important strands of concern in the CAP reform process: sustainable agriculture and rural development. Encouragement has been provided in two ways: through support for farms to convert to organic production, and through the establishment of a common certification structure for products. However, little coordinated support has been provided for marketing of products, and as supply and demand have developed rapidly from a small base, some of the consequent marketing difficulties suggest that research on key intermediaries, Organic Marketing Initiatives (OMIs), could ensure that benefits of organic production are secured and multiplied for the rural environment and the communities that depend on it. The concept of Rural Development is still evolving, but it is clear that ‘soft’factors–culture, identity, confidence–are being analysed more closely as significant influences which explain the quality of processes of economic change in the countryside. The comparative case study approach (informed by Actor Network Theory) which we have used in this research seems to be the most appropriate tool, particularly as examples of rural development driven by organic production are, as yet, relatively rare.

Four case study regions were selected from a larger group investigated in an earlier round of the OMIaRD research project. Selection involved a range of criteria, including size and location, key commodities, and the degree of integration with local and regional rural development institutions. The OMIs studied in these regional …