Georgia Farmers’ Perceptions of Production Barrier in Organic Vegetable and Fruit Agriculture

Profit maximizing farm producers attempt to minimize risk in their business by utilizing available cost effective methods and information. This research attempts to identify production barriers to vegetable and fruit producers adopting organic methods of production and determine which of these barriers to organic production influence adoption most. The data for this study is from a 2014 state wide telephone survey of Georgia’s vegetable and fruit producers. Producers were segregated into five groups; those using 100 percent conventional methods, more conventional than organic, those using about 50 percent organic and 50 percent conventional, more organic than conventional, and 100 percent organic method. Results are based on logit analysis of producers’ perceptions of barriers, farm and socioeconomic characteristics. A number of factors including producers’ evaluation of production barriers are shown to influence adoption of organic production methods. Among perception factors and characteristics influencing adoption are organic certification costs, reluctance to adopt new production methods, lower organic yields, liability of organic producers is higher, labor costs, producer age, educational attainment, years of organic farming experience and farm size (measured as gross annual farm sales).