Organic farming in Austria

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian R. Vogl ◽  
Jürgen Hess
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Meat Products ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Present Decade

AbstractDuring the present decade, Austria has experienced a dramatic increase in organic farming among those countries that comprise the European Union (EU). For example, in 1992, approximately 2,000 farms were practicing organic, ecological, or biodynamic farming methods. By 1997 the number of certified organic farms plus those in transition from conventional farming had increased 10-fold to some 20,000 farms. This represents almost 9% of the total farms in Austria and an area of 345,375 ha, or 10% of the total cultivated farmland. The largest concentration of organic farms is in regions with a high proportion of alpine grassland or pastures. Approximately 50% of the organic farms range in size from 5 to 15 ha. The strong organic movement in Austria can be attributed to a) government subsidies which provide incentives to organic farmers and b) widespread acceptance of organic products and their brand names by large food chains and supermarkets. More than 60% of organic farmers are affiliated with associations and organizations that provide advisory and support services in marketing activities. Certification of organic farms and food processors is conducted by seven monitoring bodies according to EU regulation No. 2092/91, which guarantees legallybinding standards of food safety and quality to EU consumers, and according to the Austrian Alimentari Codex. Since January 1998, all monitoring/certifying bodies in Austria must verify accreditation according to regulation European Norm 45011. The major supermarket chain offers a variety of organic dairy and meat products, as well as organic ice cream, pizza, vegetables, fruits, baby foods, and bread. The current domestic wholesale value of organic products marketed from Austrian farms is approximately 170 million US$ annually. Unfortunately, funding for support of scientific research and extension to enhance organic farming and marketing has not kept pace with the increasing number of organic farms and farmers. Additional funding is essential to ensure the sustainable development of the organic movement and the organic market.

Growing out of the niche – can organic agriculture keep its promises? A study of two Austrian cases

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecka Milestad ◽  
Sonja Hadatsch
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual ◽  
High Level

AbstractThe expansion of organic farming has taken off in the European Union and particularly in Austria, where 9% of farmland is certified organic. The main reasons for this development are subsidies and cooperation with supermarket chains. In Austria, many organic farms are located in the mountainous areas, while lowlands with arable cropping have fewer organic farms than the national average. Exploring two regions as case studies, this paper investigates whether the organic farming movement can keep its promises of environmental safety, economic viability and social justice. There is a high level of environmental concern among those who practice organic farming, but local differences are large. It is the individual farmer who determines whether environmental issues beyond the official organic regulations are considered. The economic situation for organic farms is positive due to the financial support from the government and cooperation with supermarket chains, but processing and marketing operations are still lacking for organic products. Regarding social justice, organic farming enjoys a high esteem among consumers, but relations and cooperation between organic and conventional farm sectors is poor. We conclude that it is crucial for the organic movement to focus on qualitative issues rather than quantitative expansion for further sound development of organic farming in Austria.

scholarly journals Стан та перспективи органічного сільського господарства у регіонах України

2018 ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
А. С. Ткаченко
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Occupied Territory ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Autonomous Republic

У статті наведено дані щодо стану органічного виробництва в областях України. Проаналізовано кількість операторів органічного ринку, загальні площі земель, що мають статус органічних, та земель, що знаходяться у перехідному періоді. Визначено області з найкращими тенденціями розвитку органічного землеробства, а також проаналізовано взаємозалежність між станом органічного землеробства та кількістю органічних операторів. Надано рекомендації щодо покращання ситуації у галузі органічного землеробства та окреслені перспективи подальших досліджень. The article presents data on the state of organic production in the regions of Ukraine. The theoretical aspects of organic production, organic movement and ecological consumption in Ukraine and Europe are researched.  The analysis of the number of organic market operators, the total area of land with organic status and land in transition is conducted. Areas with the best trends in organic farming development are identified, as well as the interdependence between the conditions of organic farming and the number of organic operators.  For the study data all regions of Ukraine were collected, except for the territory of ATO (Luhansk and Donetsk region) and the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.The largest number of operators in the organic market is located in Kyiv, Odessa, Kherson, Zhytomyr and Lviv regions. The leaders in areas of organic agricultural land and land of transitional period are Odessa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr and Poltava regions. The largest amount of organic land is located in Odessa, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr and Kirovograd regions. The smallest number of organic lands is differed in Chernivtsi, Sumy, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia regions. The number of organic farmers in the region does not affect the number of organic market operators.  Areas were identified  where organic farming are absent at all – such as Chernivtsi and Sumy. It is established which factors may have an impact on the development of organic production.  It is determined that education and popularization of healthy and ecologically clean food is important, as well as assistance in search of the market for organic products. The recommendations for improving the situation in the field of organic farming are presented and prospects for further research are outlined.

scholarly journals The Mental Health of the Organic Farmer: Psychosocial and Contextual Actors

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 606-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Brigance ◽  
Francisco Soto Mas ◽  
Victoria Sanchez ◽  
Alexis J. Handal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Human And Social Capital ◽  
Mental Health Factors

Despite the large body of research and literature on the health and mental health of farmers, we should not assume that research findings necessarily apply to the organic farmer. The limited literature on the mental health of the organic farmer points to potential differences. Research has found that workers on organic farms may be happier than their counterparts; others have identified added sources of stress related to the perceived need of organic farmers to embrace concepts linked to the organic movement. However, further research is needed to identify both risk and protective factors for mental health among organic farmers. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the psychosocial and contextual factors that may relate to the mental health of the organic farmer. Key informant interviews were conducted with 10 farm producers and 20 farm workers. The findings indicated that respondents recognized mental health as influential in the workplace and the future of organic practices (e.g., the mental, financial, physical stress). Some of the risk factors mentioned by participants reflected those experienced by conventional, nonorganic farmers. Participants also reported contentment with farming as an occupation, the benefits of being connected to the land, feelings of social and environmental responsibility, and engagement in social activities that may promote human and social capital. These feelings and activities ultimately benefit the farmer, contribute to social cohesion, and may have positive implications for mental health. Results suggest that there may be protective mental health factors unique to the organic farmer.

scholarly journals Comparing attitudes and characteristics of organic, former organic and conventional farmers: Evidence from Ireland

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris Läpple
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Aware Group ◽  
New Farmers ◽  
Cattle And Sheep

AbstractDespite an overall growth rate of the organic farming sector in the European Union, a considerable number of farmers cease organic production each year. Given the commitment of many European governments to increase the size of their organic farming sectors, reducing the rate of withdrawals from organic production may be an easier option than attracting new farmers into organic farming. In order to reduce the rate of withdrawals, knowledge about those farmers is required. However, to date, little is known about farmers who adopt and subsequently abandon organic farming. This study attempts to fill this gap in the literature by comparing and contrasting the farm and personal characteristics of organic, former organic and conventional farmers. To this end, primary data from 596 Irish cattle and sheep farmers are utilized. Overall, the findings reveal significant differences between the three groups. More specifically, organic farmers are found to be the most environmentally aware farmers, who also rate information gathering as more important than the remaining two groups. Organic farmers are younger, better educated and more likely to be women than conventional farmers. Former organic farmers stand out to be the least risk averse group and also express lower environmental awareness than organic farmers. Conventional farmers are found to be the most profit oriented and least environmentally aware group. In addition, this group farms more intensely stocked enterprises than the remaining groups. The paper concludes with a discussion of some policy recommendations aimed at increasing the size of the organic sector.

scholarly journals The Organic Farming Movement in Turkey

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 864-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cengiz Sayin ◽  
Robin G. Brumfield ◽  
M. Nisa Mencet ◽  
Burhan Ozkan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Domestic Market ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Market Outlook ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
Export Destination

In the past decade, organic production has become a growing segment of the healthy food market. Organic farming is expanding gradually in many countries, and consumption of organic products is gaining a huge importance in the developed countries, such as the U.S., countries in the European Union (EU), Canada, and Japan. The increase of domestic market demand in developed countries and export potential for developing countries has stimulated organic agricultural production. In this report, we briefly examine the development of the world organic market and examine regulations with regard to production and certification. We also provide a detailed review of the current structure of organic food production and marketing in Turkey, a developing country with advantages to increase organic production. The overall picture of organic products in Turkey seems very positive. The size of the domestic market for organic products is estimated to be $3 to $5 million, with annual growth projected to be about 50% for the next 5 years. Eighty percent of current production in Turkey is export-oriented. The EU has been the main export destination. The positive market outlook will no doubt create a renewed interest in organic products among Turkish farmers and policy makers.

scholarly journals Features of Organic Agricultural Products Functioning in EU and Ukraine

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68
Author(s):  
Alina Burliai ◽  
Oleksandr Burliai ◽  
Yulia Nesterchuk ◽  
Alla Revutska
Keyword(s):  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
World Market ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Ecological Agriculture ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

Abstract Organic agriculture ensures a balanced state of the ecosystem, which is the key to sustainable development of the economic and social spheres of society. European countries are in the process of historical development reached an understanding on the need for its further ecological progress. That is why the world market for organic products has formed. Studies show that the development of organic production began in the 20‘s of the twentieth century. Since then, markets for organic products began to grow rapidly in many countries. Among the world‘s regions, the largest areas of organic land are located in Oceania and Europe. The article is devoted to the study of foreign experience in the development of ecological agriculture. The variety of names of ecological systems of management in the countries of the world and the principles which are included in the concept “ecological agriculture“ are studied. The history of the emergence of organic agriculture has been explored. The analysis of the development of organic agricultural production at the world level, the countries of Europe and the European Union (EU) and individual countries has been analyzed. A grouping of organic farms in Europe has been organized in terms of size. Ukraine, with its significant natural and economic potential in the future may also be one of the important subjects that will form a proposal in this market. The environmental policy of the country has an important influence on the efficiency of organic farms.

scholarly journals INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FARMING IN POLAND

2020 ◽  
Vol XXII (1) ◽  
pp. 213-223
Author(s):  
Władysława Łuczka
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Secondary Objective ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
High Standards

The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe institutional barriers to the development of organic farming in Poland. As a secondary objective, this paper seeks feedback from organic farmers on measures taken by the institutional environment to promote the development of organic farming. This paper is based on literature reviews and selected findings from empirical research carried out in 2019 with 262 organic farms. The sample used in this study was representative of the general population of certified organic farms. The survey was a CAWI. The study found that organic farming faces many barriers, with frequent amendments to regulations being of key importance. This destabilizes and adds uncertainty to the functioning of organic farms. Another significant barrier are the high standards of organic production and low levels of financial and non-financial support. To a certain extent, these barriers result from the inefficiency of institutions surrounding organic farming. As a consequence, they are considered to poorly contribute to organic farming development.

scholarly journals Monitoring of DDT in Agricultural Soils under Organic Farming in Poland and the Risk of Crop Contamination

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 916-929
Author(s):  
Eligio Malusá ◽  
Małgorzata Tartanus ◽  
Witold Danelski ◽  
Artur Miszczak ◽  
Ewelina Szustakowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Contamination Of Soils

Abstract The analysis of 142 agricultural soil samples collected in organic farms across Poland with the intent to evaluate the level of DDT contamination resulted in more than 80% of the soils containing DDT. The ΣDDT (sum of all metabolites and isomers) concentration ranged between 0.005 and 0.383 mg/kg ΣDDT, with an average value of 0.064 mg/kg ΣDDT. However, the majority of plant samples collected from the crops growing on the sampled soils did not contain detectable DDT residues. The high DDT pollution levels detected in samples from four voivodeships (regions) among those monitored have been hypothesised to be linked to horticultural productions occurring to the sampled fields and typical of those regions, particularly in big-sized farms, during the period of DDT application, as well as the number of pesticides landfills present in these voivodeships. The elaboration of the o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT and DDT/(DDE + DDD) ratios to appraise the source or the period of contamination suggested that the contamination originated from past use of DDT rather than from impurities of more recent applications of other formulated substances. Such outcome thus suggests that the risk of contamination of organic products is likely derived from general environmental pollution levels rather than from the use of unauthorised substances in organic farming productions. Data from a trial with artificial contamination of soils indicated that using the DDT/(DDE + DDD) ratio in the presence of a low level of contamination could be less reliable than in highly contaminated soils.

Non-Certified Organic Agriculture: An Opportunity for Resource-Poor Farmers?

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Certified Organic

Drawing upon a case study from Argentina, this paper focuses on social actors who cannot be formally included within the organic movement: non-certified organic farmers. Even when they grow, consume and sell organic products, they are unable to become certified organic farmers, mainly for economic reasons. This paper analyses the main features of this group and the socioeconomic significance and impact of their farming strategy on the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers.

Capitalism in Green Disguise: The Political Economy of Organic Farming in the European Union

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 830-852
Author(s):  
Charalampos Konstantinidis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Family Farm ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Large Farm

Following the post-1992 Common Agricultural Policy, organic farming has expanded rapidly in the European Union. This growth is often considered evidence of the success of a distinctive model of small-scale family-farm agriculture. However, I show that European organic farms display features (large farm size, low labor intensity, high prevalence of mechanization, and adoption of monocultures) that are characteristic of capitalist rather than peasant farms. These features raise doubts about whether European organic farming exemplifies repeasantization. JEL Classification: B50, O13, Q18

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document