Capitalism in Green Disguise: The Political Economy of Organic Farming in the European Union

Abstract

Following the post-1992 Common Agricultural Policy, organic farming has expanded rapidly in the European Union. This growth is often considered evidence of the success of a distinctive model of small-scale family-farm agriculture. However, I show that European organic farms display features (large farm size, low labor intensity, high prevalence of mechanization, and adoption of monocultures) that are characteristic of capitalist rather than peasant farms. These features raise doubts about whether European organic farming exemplifies repeasantization. JEL Classification: B50, O13, Q18