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 Nutritional Characterization of a Traditional Cultivar of Tomato Grown Under Organic Conditions—cv. “Malacara”

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
María D. Raigón ◽  
María D. García-Martínez ◽  
Octavian P. Chiriac
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Local Varieties ◽  
Yellow Color ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Tomato Cultivars ◽  
Selection Of

The loss of genetic diversity due to the replacement of local tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) varieties by improved cultivars has been mitigated in many cases by the good work of organic farmers in maintaining local agricultural biodiversity. In parallel to these initiatives, in recent years, consumers have developed an increasing awareness of both food-related health, environmental issues, and food demand to recover the flavors of the past. In the case of tomatoes, these attributes (nutritional, organoleptic, social, and environmental) are closely related to organic production using local varieties. “Malacara” tomato is an example of a local variety. Coming from Sierra de Cádiz, it is a varietal type called “Cuelga” (“for hanging,” because the tomato trusses are hung from beams in the farmhouses). Cultivated and harvested in the open air during the summer months, these tomatoes are commercialized and consumed in the winter. Historically, this variety has enabled the fresh consumption of tomatoes during the winter, without the need to force cultivation. It is highly appreciated in the local cuisine and is the basis for sauces figuring in typical dishes. Its characteristic traits are small, pallid fruits, and long shelf life. The main objective of this work has been to typify two Malacara tomato cultivars (red and yellow color) grown under organic farming conditions, through the characterization of morphological, nutritional, and volatile parameters. The main differences are due to morphological parameters (fruit weight and color of the exocarp and endocarp). Other characteristics such as the content of ash, fiber, moisture, the concentration of iron, magnesium, and calcium, and content of lycopene are different between both cultivars. This study provides information on the nutritional and aromatic composition of two Malacara tomato cultivars, differentiated by their color and grown under organic farming conditions. The results add value to the native horticultural heritage and can aid in the selection of tomato varieties suitable for a sustainable production system and to produce tomatoes with high nutritional value and rich in aroma.

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.

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 Barriers to the Development of Organic Farming: A Polish Case Study

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 536
Author(s):  
Władysława Łuczka ◽  
Sławomir Kalinowski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Production Risk ◽  
Conversion Period ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Decision Making Processes

The main purpose of this paper is to explore farmers’ opinions on the barriers to the development of organic farming. A survey was carried out with 262 Polish organic farmers in order to classify the barriers to organic farming development into production, and economic aspects, market aspects and institutional and regulatory aspects. As a next step, a detailed analysis was performed of how the farmers view these barriers. According to this study, Polish organic farmers attach greater importance to economic factors than to non-economic ones. Low yields and production volumes are the reason why many farmers see organic farming as being risky. More than 80% and nearly 60% of farmers covered by this study found the production risk to be very high or high, respectively, during and after the conversion period. Most farmers say they intend to continue their organic production activity only if financial support is provided. Nearly one in five farms (18.3%) want to discontinue organic production in future. This is especially true for two types of farming: specialized grazing livestock farms and mixed holdings. The farmers believe that market aspects and institutional and regulatory factors are the key barriers to the development of organic farming. The findings regarding the role of institutional barriers and communications from regulatory institutions, which affect the farmers’ decision-making processes, are of particular importance. In Poland, the main institutional problem is the instability of laws applicable to organic farming, which adds to the farmers’ uncertainty and decision-making risks. The case study of Poland, which is among the emerging markets for organic food, shows that a stable and coherent support policy is a condition for organic-farming development.

scholarly journals Organic vs. organic – soil arthropods as bioindicators of ecological sustainability in greenhouse system experiment under Mediterranean conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 625-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzana Madzaric ◽  
F.G. Ceglie ◽  
L. Depalo ◽  
L. Al Bitar ◽  
G. Mimiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Crop Rotation ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Organic Liquid ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Ecological Sustainability ◽  
Soil Arthropods ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Soil Arthropod

AbstractOrganic greenhouse (OGH) production is characterized by different systems and agricultural practices with diverse environmental impact. Soil arthropods are widely used as bioindicators of ecological sustainability in open field studies, while there is a lack of research on organic production for protected systems. This study assessed the soil arthropod abundance and diversity over a 2-year crop rotation in three systems of OGH production in the Mediterranean. The systems under assessment differed in soil fertility management: SUBST – a simplified system of organic production, based on an input substitution approach (use of guano and organic liquid fertilizers), AGROCOM – soil fertility mainly based on compost application and agroecological services crops (ASC) cultivation (tailored use of cover crops) as part of crop rotation, and AGROMAN – animal manure and ASC cultivation as part of crop rotation. Monitoring of soil fauna was performed by using pitfall traps and seven taxa were considered: Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Araneae, Opiliones, Isopoda, Myriapoda, and Collembola. Results demonstrated high potential of ASC cultivation as a technique for beneficial soil arthropod conservation in OGH conditions. SUBST system was dominated by Collembola in all crops, while AGROMAN and AGROCOM had more balanced relative abundance of Isopoda, Staphylinidae, and Aranea. Opiliones and Myriapoda were more affected by season, while Carabidae were poorly represented in the whole monitoring period. Despite the fact that all three production systems are in accordance with the European Union regulation on organic farming, findings of this study displayed significant differences among them and confirmed the suitability of soil arthropods as bioindicators in protected systems of organic farming.

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 Living Mulches For Organic Farming Systems

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Leary ◽  
Joe DeFrank
Keyword(s):  
Pest Management ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Living Mulch ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Nutrient Runoff ◽  
Organic Farmers

An important aspect of organic farming is to minimize the detrimental impact of human intervention to the surrounding environment by adopting a natural protocol in system management. Traditionally, organic farming has focused on the elimination of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and a reliance on biological cycles that contribute to improving soil health in terms of fertility and pest management. Organic production systems are ecologically and economically sustainable when practices designed to build soil organic matter, fertility, and structure also mitigate soil erosion and nutrient runoff. We found no research conducted under traditional organic farming conditions, comparing bareground monoculture systems to systems incorporating the use of living mulches. We will be focusing on living mulch studies conducted under conventional methodology that can be extrapolated to beneficial uses in an organic system. This article discusses how organic farmers can use living mulches to reduce erosion, runoff, and leaching and also demonstrate the potential of living mulch systems as comprehensive integrated pest management plans that allow for an overall reduction in pesticide applications. The pesticide reducing potential of the living mulch system is examined to gain insight on application within organic agriculture.

scholarly journals A comparison of the organic and conventional livestock farming systems of Avalon Farming in West Otago

2006 ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
A and S Richardson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Organic System ◽  
Livestock Farming Systems ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
System 2

Organic farming in New Zealand is not considered a mainstream option for farmers. This paper compares organic and conventional farms running side by side at Avalon Farming and details why Avalon Farming is expanding its organic area. Included in the paper are details of the conversion to organic farming and its success. Topics include: 1. Challenges of converting from a conventional to an organic system. 2. Comparing conventional and organic production and the financial returns. 3. Marketing options for organic farmers in New Zealand including the growth of farmers markets.

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 Rolnictwo ekologiczne w Polsce i perspektywy jego rozwoju w kontekście PROW 2014–2020

2017 ◽  
pp. 115-126
Author(s):  
Marzena Trajer ◽  
Krystyna Krzyżanowska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Financial Support ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
Rural Development Programme

The aim of the study was determination of the position of Polish organic farming comparing to organic farming in European Union, defining the regional locations of organic farming producers in Poland and identification of the financial support under the Rural Development Programme for 2014–2020. In the article the secondary data and the method of comparative analysis were used. Concerning the number of ecological farms, Poland had the sixth position in the European Union in 2015. The analysis shows that the largest number of applications for co-financing of organic production within framework for action „Organic farming” were implemented in the voivodeships with the largest number of organic farms in Poland: Zachodniopomorskie voivodeship, Warmińsko-mazurskie voivodeship and Podlaskie voivodeship.

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