History & Evolution Of Plastic Mulching Technology: An Ehnography Of California Strawberry Plasticulture

This ethnography draws on key informant interviews and participant observation to produce a case study about plastic mulching as an important industry standard in specialty crop production. It documents the historic adoption and present role of plastic mulching technology in California strawberry production and addresses the characteristics of commercial standard management that inhibit the adoption of alternative mulching practices. It complements extensive research on strawberry pathology and fumigation, breeding innovations, fertilizer and pesticide treatments, and maximization of yields to incorporate participants’ lived experiences and knowledge of mulch origins, the technology adoption process, mulch benefits and drawbacks, the state of agricultural plastic waste (APW) management, and opinions on the future of the strawberry industry. A holistic assessment of plasticulture and the associated reliance on plastic mulch illuminates the ecological impacts of 20th-century agricultural commercialization. The reliance on technical synthetic inputs to expand control over soil systems has contributed to substantial anthropological pollution challenges and complicates the adoption of more benign alternative mulch types and management systems.