How to influence the trajectory of organic agriculture's development when you are not in the driver's seat? The case of the French National Federation of Organic Farming

Summary

This article describes the actions taken by theNational Federation of Organic Farming (FNAB) to try toinfluence the course of organic agriculture's developmentin France. This federation wields the strength that accruesfrom its network of regional associations, but has no directcontrol over the economic actions of farmers and enterprisesin the organic sector. It is trying to influence these actionsin three different ways. First, it is drawing up a normativeframework, a stabilised discourse about the risks that arelinked to the current strong growth of the market and aboutthe economic model and values that it wants to defend inthis context. Second, the FNAB tries to affect the ways thatthe food supply chains are organised by promoting certainproduction and trade organisation schemes. Third, theFNAB produces information and references to help farmersand economic operators get their market bearings