Local Organic Food for Local People? Organic Marketing Strategies in England and Wales

International audienceOrganic agriculture has assumed a totemic role in debates about food and farming. Domestic organic production is thought to play a role in relocalised food networks. However, relatively little is known about the market orientation of organic producers in England and Wales or how this varies geographically and by sector. Drawing on a mixed methods approach and a survey covering a fifth of the organically farmed area of England and Wales this paper characterises national, regional and local markets for organic food from a supply perspective. It identifies differences in orientation towards local, regional and national markets and considers the concentration of marketing channels using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. The analysis demonstrates the heterogeneity of the organic sector and reveals an uneven geography of organic marketing in England and Wales