Sustainable impact of organic farming: a social constructivist perspective
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The bottom-line for businesses is to earn profit or maximize the wealth of its shareholders. It is a matter of considerable debate as to how organizations can best succeed in earning sustainable profits. This present study investigated Sampran Riverside, a multi-purpose business known for organic farming and food production that has been a successful business model for Thailand in terms of its organic agriculture. The present research is a case study that describes how Sampran Riverside created an environmentally-friendly model from a conventional business entity. The study reveals how the business was able to transform through constructive learning processes and achieve success. A detailed study shows that organic farming helps society to grow in a sustainable manner and also creates economic opportunities for the people. After carrying out visits to the business, its organic fields, and other organic markets, as well as conducting interviews with the farmers, customers and the CEO of the Sampran Riverside, the researchers concluded that organic farming can holistically serve society by providing environmental, economic and health benefits from just one platform; in turn, this eventually contributes to the wider community and fosters societal development. The study further concluded that through this development, Sampran Riverside contributes to meeting some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopting this same model as the business in question may pave the way for further sustainable development by other businesses in Thailand, thus helping the country in the long run.
Downloads
Article Details
All rights reserved. Apart from citations for the purposes of research, private study, or criticism and review,no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any other form without prior written permission by the publisher.
References
Amineh, R. J. and Asl, H. D. (2015). Review of constructivism and social constructivism. Journal of Social Sciences, Literature and Languages 1(1): 9-16.
Bacon, C. (2005). Confronting the coffee crisis: can fair trade, organic, and specialty coffees reduce small-scale farmer vulnerability in northern Nicaragua? World development 33(3): 497-511.
Baranski, M., Średnicka-Tober, D., Volakakis, N., Seal, C., Sanderson, R., Stewart, G. B., Benbrook, C., Biavati, B., Markellou, E., Giotis, C., Gromadzka-Ostrowska, J., Rembiałkowska, E., Skwarło-Sońta, K., Tahvonen, R., Janovská, D., Niggli, U., Nicot, P. and Leifert, C. (2014). Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: a systematic literature review and meta-analyses. The British Journal of Nutrition 112(5): 794–811.
Beder, S. (1996). The Nature of Sustainable Development. Newham: Scribe Publications.
Cacek, T. and Langner, L. L. (1986). The economic implications of organic farming. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 1(1): 25-29.
Calo, M. and Wise, T. A. (2005). Revaluing Peasant Coffee Production: Organic and Fair-Trade Markets in Mexico. Master’s dissertation. Tufts University, USA.
Delate, K., Duffy, M., Chase, C., Holste, A., Friedrich, H. and Wantate, N. (2003). An economic comparison of organic and conventional grain crops in a long-term agroecological research (LTAR) site in Lowa. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18(2): 59-69.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson.
Elkington, J. (2001). The triple bottom line for 21st century business. In The Earthscan Reader in Business and Sustainable Development, edited by Welford, R. and Starkey, R, pp. 1-16. London: Earthscan Publications.
Food and Agriculture Organization. (1999). Organic Agriculture. [Online URL: http://www.fao.org/unfao/
bodies/COAG/COAG15/X0075E.htm#P99_8218] accessed on June 6, 2019.
Funk, C. and Kennedy, B. (2016). The New Food Fights: US Public Divides over Food Science. Washington DC: Pew Research Center.
Ginsburg, H. P. and Opper, S. (1988). Piaget's Theory of Intellectual Development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Gomiero, T., Paoletti, M. G. and Pimentel, D. (2008). Energy and environmental issues in organic and conventional agriculture. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 27(4): 239-254.
Greenpeace. (2015). Fostering Economic Resilience: The Financial Benefits of Ecological Farming in Kenya and Malawi. Johannesburg: Greenpeace Africa.
Hartley, J. (2004). Case study research. In Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research, edited by C. Cassell and G. Symon, pp. 323-333. London: Sage.
Heaton, S. (2002). Assessing organic food quality: Is it better for you? Proceedings of the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference, pp. 55-60. Wales: Organic Centre Wales, Institute of Rural Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth.
Huber, M., Rembialkowska, E., Srednicka, D., Bügel, S. and Van de Vijver, L. P. L. (2011). Organic food and impact on human health: assessing the status quo and prospects of research. Journal of Life Sciences 58(3-4): 103-109.
Huber, M., van de Vijver L. P., Parmentier, H., Savelkoul, H. and Hoogenboom, R. A. (2010). Effects of organically and conventionally produced feed on biomarkers of health in a chicken model. The British Journal of Nutrition 103(5): 663-676.
Huitt, W. and Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive 3(2): 1-5.
Jonsdottir, S. B. (2011). The Benefits of Organic Agriculture: Review of Scientific Research and Studies. [Online URL: https://www.natturan.is/site_media/uploads/tun_benefits_of_oa.pdf] accessed on June 6, 2019.
Kilcher, L. (2007). How organic agriculture contributes to sustainable development. Journal of Agricultural Research in the Tropics and Subtropics, Supplement 89(1): 31-49.
Kiraly, D. (2014). A social constructivist approach to translator education: Empowerment from theory to practice. Routledge.
Klumper, W., Kathage, J. and Qaim, M. (2013). Perception of global food security issues in the German public. Berichte Uber Landwirtschaft 91(1): 1-17.
Kshirsagar, K. G. (2008). Impact of Organic Farming on Economics of Sugarcane Cultivation in Maharashtra. Working Paper. Pune: Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics.
Kuhlman, T. and Farrington, J. (2010). What is sustainability? Sustainability 2(11): 3436-3448.
Lee, K. S., Choe, Y. C. and Park, S. H. (2015). Measuring the environmental effects of organic farming: A meta-analysis of structural variables in empirical research. Journal of Environmental Management 162(1): 263-274.
Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Liontakis, A. and Tzouramani, I. (2016). Economic sustainability of organic aloe vera farming in Greece under risk and uncertainty. Sustainability 8(4): 2-13.
Lotter, D. W., Seidel, R. and Liebhardt, W. (2003). The performance of organic and conventional cropping systems in an extreme climate year. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 18(2): 146-154.
Meisterling, K., Samaras, C. and Schweizer, V. (2009). Decisions to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture and product transport: LCA case study of organic and conventional wheat. Journal of Cleaner Production 17(2): 222-230.
Merriam, S. B. and Bierema, L. L. (2013). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.
Mondelaers, K., Aertsens, J. and Van Huylenbroeck, G. (2009). A meta-analysis of the differences in environmental impacts between organic and conventional farming. British Food Journal 111(10): 1098-1119.
Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The Content Analysis Guidebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Niggli, U. and Willer, H. (2000). Organic agricultural research in Europe - present state and future prospects. In Proceedings of the 13th IFOAM-Scientific Conference in Basel, 29.-31.8. 2000-IFOAM 2000. The World Grows Organic, pp. 722-726. Zürich: vdf Hochschulverlag AG an der ETH Zürich.
Oldfather, P., West, J., White, J. and Wilmarth, J. (1999). Learning Through Children’s Eyes. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Probst, L., Houedjofonon, E., Ayerakwa, H. M. and Haas, R. (2012). Will they buy it? The potential for marketing organic vegetables in the food vending sector to strengthen vegetable safety: a choice experiment study in three West African cities. Food Policy 37(3): 296-308.
Pugliese, P. (2001). Organic farming and sustainable rural development: A multifaceted and promising convergence. Sociologia Ruralis 41(1): 112-130.
Sgroi, F., Candela, M., Trapani, A. M., Forderà, M., Squatrito, R., Testa, R. and Tudisca, S. (2015). Economic and financial comparison between organic and conventional farming in Sicilian lemon orchards. Sustainability 7(1): 947-961.
Testa, R., Foderà, M., Trapani, A. M., Tudisca, S. and Sgroi, F. (2015). Choice between alternative investments in agriculture: the role of organic farming to avoid the abandonment of rural areas. Ecological Engineering 83(1): 227-232.
United States Department of Agriculture. (1980). Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. [Online URL: https://pubs.nal.usda.gov/sites/pubs.nal.usda.gov/files/Report%20and%20Recommendations
%20on%20Organic%20Agriculture_0.pdf] accessed on April 17, 2019.
United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. (2010). Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk. What We Can Do Now. [Online URL: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/index.htm] accessed on 6 June 2019.
Valkila, J. (2009). Fair trade organic coffee production in Nicaragua-Sustainable development or a poverty trap? Ecological Economics 68(12): 3018-3025.
Venkat, K. (2011). The Climate Change and Economic Impacts of Food Waste in the United States. Journal on Food System Dynamics 2(4): 431-446.
Venkatram, R. and Mani, K. (2006). Prospects and constraints in adoption of organic farming-A micro-level study in Tamil Nadu. Agricultural Economics Research Review 19(2): 228.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1929). The Problem of the Cultural Development of the Child. Journal of Genetic Psychology 36(3): 415-434.
Wadsworth, B. J. (1996). Piaget's Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development: Foundations of Constructivism. New York: Longman Publishing.
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future. New York: Oxford University Press.