Beyond equivalency: comparing governance and sustainability of three North American organic standards

We compare the extent to which national organic standards in North America reflect principles and benchmark practices for agricultural sustainability, and the governance and legal context that shape them. We find that Canada has the strongest principles, and the US the weakest. Mexican and Canadian standards are stronger in terms of sustainable management practices than the US. No standards contained practice requirements related to social and employment standards. Our research describes how governance processes shape the establishment of national standards. We also find that the laws that govern organic regimes do not necessarily reflect the content of the standards.