Spatial Affect (Sa) as a New Frame for Organic Farming Spaces (Ofss): A Comparative Analysis From Türkiye

Abstract

The attachment that farmers have formed with space is one of the primary standards for comprehending organic farming. This paper examines the constitution of powerful affects within organic farming spaces (OFSs) by moving beyond descriptive accounts of spatial practices to the conceptual entanglements of space and affect theories, with the aim of elucidating their reciprocal formation as manifested through the practices and imaginaries of organic farming. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 21 farmers in the provinces of Aydın and Van (Türkiye), the study explores how farmers' attachments to space produce, and are reproduced by, their engagements with organic farming. Findings indicate that farmers' relations with OFSs are configured through both affective and pecuniary dimensions: those with deeper affective attachments display heightened senses of belonging, grounded in work–life experiences and socio-cultural ties to the land. The analysis introduces the notion of spatial affect (SA) to account for these dynamics across four interrelated frames—labour–struggle, belonging, obligation, and discreditation—thereby offering a conceptual tool for understanding the reciprocal constitution of space and affect in organic farming. The study concludes by suggesting that attention to spatial affect can inform policy interventions aimed at sustaining farmers’ engagement and mitigating the abandonment of organic farmlands. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.