DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Organic production methods do not per se guarantee agricultural sustainability. However, to the extent that organic methods emphasize the health of the soil and employ soil building and maintenance techniques, they do increase the probability of a sustained resource base. Whether a given organic farm is economically sustainable depends on a complex array of factors-access to production resources, management ability, access to markets, consumer demand, and the entrepreneurial ability of the farm operator. To the extent that organic methods can be viable in an overall sense, they offer an alternative paradigm that may serve to motivate experimentation and change in conventional methods even if the bulk of agricultural production continues to occur in conventional production regimes. It is in this latter context that organic systems may have their greatest impact. It may be imperative, therefore, that a reasonable level of viability be achieved and maintained for these systems. In this regard, experimentation and research are essential to develop data that can reduce risk levels and enhance overall economic performance. This analysis has focused on consumer demand with a view to deriving inferences that may contribute to better strategic and tactical marketing decisions. In particular, target marketing could benefit from information on differences in the characteristics of buyers and non-buyers. Our analysis shows some important differences. We found it interesting that there was no difference between the mean incomes of buyers and non-buyers, nor was there a significant difference in educational achievement. Buyers, however, tended to be in non-blue-collar occupations-service and white-collar jobs and were significantly younger than non-buyers-8.5 years younger. And the average size of community in which buyers lived was 39,400, compared with 44,500 for non-buyers. Buyers also tended to be more health conscious, particularly regarding chemical residues, preservatives, and additives. The development of cluster marketing techniques using Geographic Information Systems offers a potentially useful technological tool for target marketing. For example, the Claritas Corporation has developed a methodology that identifies 40 lifestyle clusters in the U.S. population. Further, the methodology enables analysis at the micropopulation level by zip code. The Claritas model analyzes hundreds of household and consumer characteristics but organizes them into five principal groupings: social status and rank, mobility, ethnicity, family life cycle, and housing style (Weiss 1988). The Claritas model organizes cluster types on a scale from 1 to 40, with 1 having the highest income and social ranking.

We have identified demographic clusters that, from cursory analysis of the Claritas lifestyle descriptions, appear to be promising targets for organically produced foods. These include the Young Influentials (ZQ7), Bohemian Mix (ZQ11), and Single City Blues (ZQ28). Based on 1987 data, Young Influentials made up approximately 3 percent of the U.S. population, ranged in age from 18 to 34, and had a median household income of $30,398. This group resides primarily in the "yuppie inner-ring suburbs living in apartment and condo dwellings." Their occupations are predominantly white-collar with a high proportion of college-educated persons. Their index of participation in environmental organizations is three times the national average. Their consumption of yogurt and whole-wheat bread is 50 percent greater than the national average. As Weiss describes this group, Many residents have the kind of high-tech, white collar jobs that provide substantial incomes (38 percent earned over $35,000) and that allow leisure-intensive lifestyles. On a sunny weekend, Young Influential residents can often be found jogging, biking or speed walking-sometimes to a bar for drinks and dancing. Young Influentials don't care about good schools, because they don't have children. They want a mall with a sushi bar, gourmet cookie shop, travel agency, and psychotherapy center. (Weiss 1988) Further, with their double incomes and acquisitive ways, Young Influentials are a fast-track marketer's dream. They're more likely than average Americans to own a convertible, travel abroad, drink domestic champagne, and attend musical performances. Serious about fitness, they spend twice as much time as the general population sailing and skiing, playing racquetball and tennis. And they eat to win, as seen by their tendency to fill their shopping carts with healthy snack foods such as yogurt, nuts, cheese, and wheat bread. (Weiss 1988) Bohemian Mix made up 1.1 percent of U.S. households. Its primary age range is from 18 to 34, with a 1987 median household income of $21,916. Major identifying demographic characteristics are bohemian inner-city neighborhoods, multi-unit housing, racially mixed singles, college graduates, and white-collar jobs. These neighborhoods consists of communities of "students, artists, writers, and actors" with a "unique income profile: a U-shaped graph with many high- and low-income residents but only a small middle class. An air of adventure pervades the funky brownstones and gentrifying apartment houses, sidewalk cafes, and benefit dances for the Sandinistas" (Weiss 1988). Food consumption patterns include whole-wheat bread, fruit and vegetable juices, cheese spread, dry soup, tea, and frozen TV dinners. Their index of participation in environmental organizations is nearly 600 percent of the national average (Weiss 1988).

The third cluster that shows promise for organic products is Single City Blues. This demographic group makes up 3.3 percent of the U.S. population. Its primary age range is 18 to 34, with a median 1987 household income of $17,926. Key demographic characteristics are downscale city districts, multi-unit housing, racially mixed singles, some college educations, blue- and white-collar occupations. While 57 percent of this group reported incomes under $20,000, they represent a logical target for organic foods. "Within ramshackle houses and funky apartments live immigrants, minorities, and working-class whites, aging hippies, blue-collar laborers, and struggling artists" (Weiss 1988). Furthermore, "as recruits in the natural foods revolution, locals are 50 percent more likely to shop at health-food stores and are big consumers of frozen yogurt, bottled spring water, and natural cheeses" (Weiss 1988). And their index of participation in environmentalist organizations is 250 percent of the national average. The three cluster groups briefly described here made up a total of 7.3 percent of the U.S. populationa not inconsequential proportion. It is our contention that if organically produced products are to gain a durable foothold in the consumer marketplace, they must find a viable market niche. Our analysis has shown how organic food users differ essentially from non-users in key demographic, psychographic, and economic characteristics. We have also drawn on the lifestyle clusters developed by Claritas for its geodemographic marketing system. By targeting these three clusters of consumers, organic food marketing systems can exploit a potentially strong base of consumer demand, and can avoid the type of boom-bust experience that occurred in the wake of the Alar scare in 1989.