Understanding Labour and Production in Alternative Agriculture: Requirements, variability and perceptions of labour on certified organic farms in Ontario, Canada

Alternative agriculture may be unsustainable with respect to labour demands. To understand these requirements, this study synthesized methods previously used in determining land, labour and food production to evaluate labour required to meet daily dietary demands of the city of Guelph through local, certified organic production. Quantitative and qualitative analysis evaluated labour requirements alongside existing employment, as well as factors affecting productivity. We concluded based on this analysis that: 1) workforce requirements in forms of alternative agriculture could exacerbate an existing labour gap in Canadian agriculture; 2) there is considerable variation in certified organic horticultural production; 3) some examples of high productivity provided insight into efficient production but with caveats. This contributed to a greater understanding of resource requirements and to research on the criticisms of social justice of farm labourers in alternative agriculture. We suggest expansion of analysis spatially, temporally and to other methods of alternative agricultural production.