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Preaching Conversion: The Organic Conversion Information Scheme In Wales, 1996-2001

David Frost
[History] Paper presented at the European Society for Rural Sociology, 20th Biennial Conference, Sligo, Ireland, 19-22 August 2003
January 2004

Organic farming shares many characteristics with other new social movements that emerged in the late twentieth century concerned with environmental conservation and animal rights. In common with these, organic farming has to confront the issues of incorporation and integration that arise when seeking mainstream political support. In the UK, the Organic Conversion Information Scheme (OCIS) and the Organic Farming Scheme are examples of the incorporation and integration of the organic farming movement into government policy. Delivery of the first phase of the Organic Conversion Information Scheme in Wales between 1996 and 2001, involved the setting up and development of a database of all farmers in Wales who requested advice and information under the scheme. This paper, after a brief history and background, presents an analysis of OCIS in Wales using information from the database and other sources to examine trends in conversion to organic farming among the Welsh farming community. It concludes with a consideration of the implications of the scheme for the wider social movement.