Organic farmers feeling the squeeze at both ends.

Even as sales of organic food are rising, organic farmers in the United States and elsewhere face a potential decline in profits. On the one hand, reports have brought attention to the low wages and poor living conditions of many farm workers, leading to calls for growers to improve salaries and benefits. At the same time, large-scale distributors like Whole Foods and Wal-Mart are competing to offer the lowest organics pricing, putting farmers under greater pressure to reduce costs.

While the U.S. government's organic food label guarantees that certified food is grown without chemical fertilizers or genetic modification, it does not ensure fair labor practices. Richard Mandelbaum, policy analyst at the Farmworker Support Committee, has called U.S. farmworking conditions "a human rights crisis." "In terms of wages and labor rights, there's really no difference between organic and conventional," he says.

There are some exceptions. In 1998, California-based Swanton Berry Farm signed the first-ever contract between an organic farm and the United Farm Workers union. Swanton Berry claims it offers the "best pay scale in the industry," as well as additional benefits like medical and retirement plans and subsidized housing. But these unconventional perks raise Swanton Berry's costs 15 percent above those of most organic farms.

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Organic farming consisted once of mostly small-scale growers selling directly to consumers at farmers markets and similar venues, but now it is narrowing to a few major retailers with the market power to demand lower prices, says organics grower Tom Philpott. Wal-Mart, for example, plans to offer organic products for 10-20 percent less than elsewhere. While the giant retailer claims the price difference reflects its unique capacity to use high-volume purchasing and efficient distribution, Philpott and other organic supporters suspect farmers may ultimately feel the heat.

Nevertheless, Ronnie Cummins, director of the Organic Consumers Association, remains optimistic about the development of the industry. "It's time to dovetail the health, sustainability, and justice movements," he says. "The potential is incredible. But it's going to take some real, hard organizing."