For example, one reason that organic growers can afford greater pest damage is that the consumers of organic produce, in general, are more tolerant of flaws and blemishes than the general public. Whatever that figure may be, the organic model shows the importance of consumer education for reducing potential negative environmental impacts from agriculture. Conventional farmers can only alter their production practices to the degree that the consumer is willing to accept the resulting product. Organic producers also usually receive a premium for their product. This premium is one reason why they can accept higher levels of losses due to pests.
Conventional producers have very low profit margins in most years on most crops.
They can ill afford to accept the kind of losses that organic growers frequently experience. Similarly, organic growers can accept generally reduced yields per acre and still have profitable operations because of the premium that their product brings. This shows the relationship between consumer willingness to pay and the kind of practices that farmers can afford to adopt. The comparative productivity of organic agriculture. Inc. ISSN 1077-5315.