Barries to organic milk certification in a family farming central cooperative of the west of Santa Catarina

Abstract

The article analyzes barriers to agroecological transition and to the adequacy to organic certification rules, in family milk farming units, from the case of a family farming central cooperative, which has 73 transition properties. The most important identified barriers derive from the absence of an alternative to sell organic milk, from a lack of knowledge of specific organic producing rules and techniques by the farmers and/or from the lack of technical and organizational support to generate alternatives, which would be difficult to implement at the scale of a single organic unit. It concludes that precariousness in agroecological transition would put farmers at risk if the organic production legislation was rigorously applied.