ABSTRACT
Knight and co-workers (2002) define agriculture as the system and processes used in the cultivation of plants, and the raising of animals, for food and other materials. The systems and processes that characterize agriculture are a function of a much broader agri-food system – the set of relationships that coordinates food production by harmonizing the choices made by producers, processors, retailers, food service outlets and consumers. The agri-food system is currently being reshaped by a variety of trends including growing international trade (Kennedy 2000), concerns about food safety (Caswell and Hooker 1996), agriculture’s impact on the environment (Ogishi et al. 2002), worker health, safety and wages (Gereffi et al. 2001), animal welfare (Hobbs et al. 2002), and the use of new forms of technology (Lusk et al. 2003).
