A conceptual framework for alternative farmers' strategic choices: The case of French organic market gardening microfarms

Summary

Alternative farming systems are challenging classical agronomic frameworks because their aim is to promote human and ecosystems welfare rather than profit maximization. The objective of our work was to understand how alternative farmers build their strategic choices. Through a multiple-case qualitative study of 14 organic market gardening microfarms in the northern half of France, we developed a systemic conceptual framework in which strategic decision making is integrated with a wide range of social and environmental aspirations. As these various aspirations can be in tension, it is relevant to consider trade-offs between them to study the viability of alternative farms.