PhD Scholar

The Memetics of Organics.

E-mail: John.Paull@anu.edu.au

The idea of organic farming is one of the most successful and enduring of green ideas. The memetic development of organics is analysed from the first articulation by Northbourne (Paull, 2006, http://www.orgprints.org/10138) as it has moved from canon to coda. Beginning in war-distracted Britain in 1940, organics has grown to a A$50 billion worldwide enterprise, practiced in more than 120 countries.

The gestation of the organic idea is examined. The military model of agriculture (the war on weeds) took hold in parallel with the organic model of agriculture; they remain contesting models for the future of the world’s food supply.

The progress of the organic meme is traced from south east England across the Channel, the Atlantic, and recently to China (Paull, 2007,  http://www.orgprints.org/10949) - in that case for a suite of environmental, economic and demographic reasons.

Milestone events are examined, including Silent Spring and Chernobyl, as phenomena that added momentum to the organic movement.

Organics is evolving (organic fibres and personal products) and tested and contested with emerging peri-agricultural extensions including organic water and certified organic forestry. Scenarios for the future of organics are examined.