Summary
This study questions whether certified organic agriculture can improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in a context of urbanization and demographic change, using the case study of Wanzai County, Jiangxi Province, China. The authors use household survey data collected in 2007 and 2014 from three organic agriculture practicing and three conventional agriculture practicing villages. Overall, small-scale organic farms had higher incomes than conventional farms of the same scale, however farm income makes up only a small fraction of total household income, the percentage of which decreases over time. When looking at medium-scale organic farms, agriculture contributes a larger portion of household income (77% in 2014). Therefore, it is clear that organic agriculture can act as a stable alternative livelihood strategy, particularly when there is the opportunity for up-scaling. It is also noted that organic cooperative members had better economic performance than organic farmers operating independently.