PREFERENCES ABOUT MARKETING ORGANIC GRAIN IN ALBERTA

The organic industry in Canada is growing and Alberta organic grain producers have expressed a concern that the marketing system for organic grains in Alberta is poorly organized. This poorly organized system may hinder producers from optimizing market potential. This paper assesses different organizational structures that might assist Alberta organic grain producers in optimizing market potential. The choice of organizational structures that could potentially be used to market organic grain in Alberta is based on the types organizational structures that currently exist in the market, producer motivations, and the obstacles that exist in the market. In performing the assessment; existing organic organizational structures are identified, producer motivations are defined, underlying market forces are revealed, and organizational critical success factors are specified. In the conclusions an assessment is made as to which organizational structure is presently the most suitable option to assist organic grain producers in Alberta. The judgment of appropriate marketing structure may well change as the organic market matures, which it shows promise of rapidly doing.