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Current statistics on organic agriculture worldwide: organic area, producers and market
... In 1999, the world organic agricultural land constituted only 11.0 million ha. By 2014, this figure was increased to 43.7 million ha, representing a roughly 4-fold growth in 15 years (Lernoud & Willer, 2016). Alongside the increase in the organically managed land, the market size and sales values of organic products have also grown. ...
... The regions possess the largest organic land are Oceania (17.3 million hectares), Europe (11.6 million hectares), and Latin America (6.8 million hectares). In which, Australia, Argentina, and the US are the countries with the highest organic managed land (Lernoud & Willer, 2016). Meanwhile, the countries with the greatest numbers of organic producers are India, Uganda, and Mexico. ...
... Meanwhile, the countries with the greatest numbers of organic producers are India, Uganda, and Mexico. However, the majority of organic land is grassland (NCOF, 2010;Lernoud & Willer, 2016) and organics also represents a small percentage in the agricultural production and its market (Australian Organic Ltd., 2017). The arable organic land (20% of total organic agricultural land) is mainly devoted to producing cereals, green fodder, oilseeds, vegetables, and dried pulses. ...
... In 1999, the world organic agricultural land constituted only 11.0 million ha. By 2014, this figure was increased to 43.7 million ha, representing a roughly 4-fold growth in 15 years (Lernoud & Willer, 2016). Alongside the increase in the organically managed land, the market size and sales values of organic products have also grown. ...
... The regions possess the largest organic land are Oceania (17.3 million hectares), Europe (11.6 million hectares), and Latin America (6.8 million hectares). In which, Australia, Argentina, and the US are the countries with the highest organic managed land (Lernoud & Willer, 2016). Meanwhile, the countries with the greatest numbers of organic producers are India, Uganda, and Mexico. ...
... Meanwhile, the countries with the greatest numbers of organic producers are India, Uganda, and Mexico. However, the majority of organic land is grassland (NCOF, 2010;Lernoud & Willer, 2016) and organics also represents a small percentage in the agricultural production and its market (Australian Organic Ltd., 2017). The arable organic land (20% of total organic agricultural land) is mainly devoted to producing cereals, green fodder, oilseeds, vegetables, and dried pulses. ...
Organic production system has been increasing significantly in both production scale, market size, and sales volume in many parts of the world. However, many politicians and academics are still anxious about the potential contributions of the organic production systems to the future development of the agriculture sector. This overview focuses on analysing the history, development status, the main strengths and weaknesses of the world organic farming that might help to provide a more obvious view on this production system. Organic farming has been demonstrated as a more sustainable way to produce food because of less resource utilization, increased biodiversity, reduced environmental impacts, and higher product safety as compared to the conventional counterpart. Organic products have also been widely evaluated to be healthier, tastier, and more environmentally friendly. However, this farming system has been facing certain difficulties in terms of productivity, ensuring food quality, product price, market accessibility, conversion duration, and conversion costs. Further works are required to identify the relative performances of different production systems regarding individual sustainability objectives.
... European countries, with an organic grape cultivation area amounting to almost 90% of global organic vineyards, are the leaders in organic grape production. Global organic wine grape production is estimated at only 5% of the total wine-growing area (Willer and Lernoud, 2019). In Australia between 2010/11 and 2014/2015, the production of organic grapes used for wine production increased by 15% (Willer and Lernoud, 2019). ...
... Global organic wine grape production is estimated at only 5% of the total wine-growing area (Willer and Lernoud, 2019). In Australia between 2010/11 and 2014/2015, the production of organic grapes used for wine production increased by 15% (Willer and Lernoud, 2019). Expansion of the area in organic wine grapes is expected, since demand for organic, as well as conventionally produced wine is increasing, especially in the nontraditional markets, such as China (Mitry et al., 2009). ...
... The belief that organic production will preserve and improve the taste of wine is an important factor that stimulates the production of organic wine (Pagliarini et al. 2013;Kim and Bonn, 2015). Recent studies showed consumers' preference toward organic wine in comparison with conventionally produced wines (Pagliarini et al. 2013;Araujo et al. 2017;Willer and Lernoud, 2019). However, despite the fact that the market share of organic wine is constantly increasing, it is still less than 10% of the global wine market (Schäufele and Hamm, 2018). ...
There are currently about 68 different species of the genus Vitis, with a wide variety of morphological and physiological characteristics, however, all plants of this genus are lianas, woody or climbing vines. Grapevines are one of the most economically important crops in the world. Indeed, the growing consumer demand for healthy food with numerous nutritional and benefits and sustainably produced has grown the market for products obtained from the grapevine, such as table grapes, raisins, and infusions, besides, the use of its leaves in gastronomy. This chapter aims to review the biology and anatomy of the most important Vitis species, overview the recent innovations in Viti's products worldwide. Will be also taken into account the development of ideas related to the usage of grapes as well as how the evolution of awareness increased the ability of scientists to respond to the challenges that have emerged with the appearance of new consumer trends.
... European counties, with the area under cultivation of organic grapes which represents almost 90% of global organic vineyards, are the leader in organic grape production. The global organic production of grape is estimated at only 5% of the total wine-growing area (Willer and Lernoud 2019). Expansion of area in grown with grape is expected since that demands are for organic, as well as conventionally produced wine is increasing, especially in the nontraditional markets, such as Chinese (Mitry et al. 2009). ...
... Expansion of area in grown with grape is expected since that demands are for organic, as well as conventionally produced wine is increasing, especially in the nontraditional markets, such as Chinese (Mitry et al. 2009). Particularly in Australia, between 2010/11 and 2014/2015, the production of grape used for wine production increased by 15% (Willer and Lernoud 2019). ...
... The belief that organic production will preserve and improve the taste of wine, is an important factor that stimulates the production of organic wine (Kim and Bonn 2015;Pagliarini et al. 2013). Recent studies showed consumers' preferences towards organic wine in comparison with convectional produced wines (Pagliarini, Laureati, and Gaeta 2013;Araujo et al. 2017;Willer and Lernoud 2019). However, despite the fact that the market share of organic wine is constantly increasing, it is still lower than 10% of the global wine market (Schäufele and Hamm 2018). ...
... Providing food for the 11 billion people that will inhabit the earth by the end of the century is one of the most important difficulties that humanity will face [1]. Currently, 98.9% of the world's food is produced by conventional agriculture, also known as non-organically certified agriculture, in which farmers generally use synthetic, chemical inputs [2]. It is important to keep in mind, nevertheless, that in the annals of human history, what is deemed "conventional" now is rather recent. ...
... In the global context, Europe is the region where organic agriculture is most prevalent. More than any other continent, Europe is home to 26% of the world's organic croplands as of 2017 [2]. The most generous legislation for organic practices is now found in Europe [11]. ...
By 2050, it is projected that there will be 10 billion people on the planet who need to be fed. Meeting these demands and maintaining environmental protection will be greatly dependent on the paradigms of conventional and organic agriculture. By following the historical origins of these two agricultural paradigms and examining their methods, effects, financial implications, and contributions to global food security, this review critically analyses them. We draw emphasis to the environmental footprints, paying special focus to biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water management, and soil health. A deeper examination of consumer safety, community dynamics, and global market trends will be included in the discussion of the health effects of food produced in both systems and their societal ramifications. This review makes the case for an integrated approach to agriculture that makes use of best practices from both worlds by identifying the advantages and disadvantages of both farming systems. The goal of this harmonisation is to build a sustainable agricultural future that feeds people and maintains the planet's natural equilibrium.
... For instance, according to Forschungsinstitut fur Biologischen Landbau (FiBL)-Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and IFOAM recent surveys, in Africa organic agriculture land including in conversion areas in 2017 was 2,056,571 ha. Referring to ten years (2007) the statistics indicate 130.2% (1,163,089 ha) increase of organic agriculture land (Lernoud & Willer, 2019). Samewise, in Ocenia (area in the world experiencing highest growth of organic agricultural land including in conversion areas), agricultural land was 35,894,365 ha in 2017. ...
... Samewise, in Ocenia (area in the world experiencing highest growth of organic agricultural land including in conversion areas), agricultural land was 35,894,365 ha in 2017. The increase indicates 196.4% (23,783,698 ha) in ten years (2007) (Lernoud & Willer, 2019). These data show us unreasonable growth pace of organic agricul-ture land for African countries. ...
... Зокрема, виділяються значні державні субсидії для ведення біологічного землеробства без отрутохімікатів та хімічних добрив у таких країнах як у Німеччина, Японія, Саудівська Аравія, Китай [3,6,7]. ...
... The market for organic products in the European Union (EU) has recorded a growth rate of 8% in 2019, to reach a value of retail sales of about EUR 41.4 billion (Travnıćěk et al., 2021), in line with the global trend (Willer and Lernoud, 2021), transforming the sector from a niche into one of the pillars of agri-food production systems. The production sector has responded with a more than 50% increase of the share of EU agricultural land managed according to organic farming rules over the period 2012-2020, achieving 14.8 million ha (9.1% of the total EU agricultural land) in 2020, with fruit, olives and grape crops representing 11% of the organic land area (European Commission, 2023). ...
... In terms of the number of producers, India was the world's biggest producer of organic foods in 2019 (Willer et al., 2021). India had 1.4 million organic food producers in that year, which was more than the combined number of organic food producers in the world's other nine largest countries (Willer et al., 2020). Organic farming is typically seen to be more sustainable than conventional farming, yet it comes with its own set of problems and opportunities. ...
Agriculture and farming have a long history. Agriculture is the main economic structure for many developed and developing countries. The modern agricultural practices affect the environment namely nutrient cycle, soil erosion, carbon sequestration, and many other ecological patterns. Organic farming is influential practice to minimize the environmental and ecological impact of sustainable development. Usage of more organic matters in agricultural practices can reduce the adverse effects on the environment by keep saving its natural cycles on recovery process and organic farming may enhance the food quality too. The organic farming may largely exclude the usage of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones and feed additives of livestock activities. A combination of organic farming and new technologies is of utmost importance to reduce the limitations and challenges of organic farming. The innovative methods and new approaches making new trends toward sustainability farming system and enhances the agricultural productivity, and quality of life of many farmers in an environmentally friendly way. In other words, organic farming mirrors the sustainability concepts of Global Agriculture.
... Organic farming system covered 50.9 million hectares worldwide in 2017, about 1.1% of total agricultural land in 179 countries (Willer & Lernoud, 2017). Organic agricultural system is not very much evolved in Iran. ...
Organic farming suitability can improve the health of environment, agroecosystems and humans, quality of products, and local economy. Organic agricultural system is not very much evolved in Iran. In this paper a model is proposed to identify the suitable zones in 14 counties of Golestan Province, northeast of Iran, for the development of organic farming using spatial indicators, spatial analysis and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). In this model, some important criteria such as climatic variables, topographic factors, soil characteristics, ecological variables, environmental variables and developmental variables were evaluated and considered as spatial indicators. The thematic layers were classified based on agronomical requirements tables of organic farming and were overlaid based on Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) in ArcMap software. Final maps were separately generated and classified to five classes of suitability degree for spring and winter crops. According to the results of model, development of organic farming is possible for up to 14.72 and 17.76 percent of the current lands of Golestan Province in Iran for organic spring and winter cropping, respectively. In this research, we developed a land suitability model for organic farming based on the evaluation of spatial variables in Geographic Information System (GIS) and MCDA. Results provided useful information that can be used as decision support tools in the development of organic agriculture in Golestan Province, other similar regions in Iran and other countries in the world.
... Aquaculture output has grown at a rate of 14.3 per cent per annum since 1998 onwards from B$2 million in 1998 to B$22 million in 2017 (Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2020). As of 2015, there were 29 hectares of organic aquaculture fields in Brunei (Lernoud and Willer 2017). ...
Brunei Darussalam boasts one of the highest percentages of forest cover in the world. Local communities have been depending on their ecosystems for various ecosystem services since a long time. This includes the extraction of forest produces, agriculture, minerals and coal during various points on the historical timescale. After the emergence of oil and gas based economy, the pressure on ecosystems reduced. Consequently, Brunei has been successfully able to allocate a large proportion of its land surface area for the conservation of forests. To diversify and move away from the oil and gas based economy, Brunei has developed a new economic blueprint that emphasizes on economic growth that goes hand in hand with ecosystem conservation. The expansion of urban area that fragments the forest cover, loss of local knowledge, forest fires, climate change, pollution and declining yield from the fisheries sector are major challenges faced by the ecosystems today. Negotiating these challenges through culturally appropriate and locally relevant measures would help Brunei reach its goal of an environmentally sound diversified economy comfortably.
... In recent years, "Organic agriculture" has gained great attention worldwide, and according to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), the area under organic farming in the world has been growing steadily and over the next 20 years, its area increased almost 6 times, having reached 69,8 million hectares in 2017 (Fig. 1). The bulk of this amount relates to Australia (51%) and EU countries (21%) (Fig. 2) [5]. The term "Organic agriculture" has a number of definitions that mostly refers to a system for crops, livestock and fish farming emphasizing environmental protection and the use of natural farming techniques. ...
Introduction: The poor quality of medicines represents a threat to public health. However, the causes come from a variety of factors such as the use of an active ingredient of insufficient quality, inadequate manufacturing processes, or even unsuitable packaging, insufficient quality control measures. Thus, this study aims to assess the quality of injectable ampicillin in the formal and informal circuit in the city of Yaoundé. Methodology: Thirty (30) batches of injectable ampicillin collected in the city of Yaoundé were the subject of an experimental study. The European and American Pharmacopoeia (USP) standards were used to assess pharmaco-technical and physicochemical compliance. Results: According to the parameters including respect for the mass, the pH, the labeling and the dosage of the active ingredient were found non-compliant on 02 batches (7%), 01 batch (3%), 25 batches (83% ) and 01 lot (3%). However, of the 30 batches analyzed, 53% were non-compliant, including 13%, 3%, and 37% respectively from the private, public and informal sectors. Conclusion: More than half of the batches of ampicillin injection analyzed in this study had corrupted qualities. Strict measures are necessary on the quality of badly needed drugs such as ampicillin from the first people in charge of drug control in the city of Yaoundé in order to improve the quality of treatment for pathologies.
... It employs crop rotation, manual weeding, and biological solutions to combat plant diseases (Rempelos et al., 2020). As per statistics from 2017, globally 69.8 million ha of land is under organic farming practice, with a significant proportion (about 1.78 million ha) in India (Lernoud and Willer, 2017). Organic farming is believed to preserve the integrity of the soil in terms of both biotic and abiotic components, thus maintaining soil fertility (Suja et al., 2017). ...
Due to higher microbial activity and diversity, organic farming serves as a sustainable alternative in preventing several soil-borne plant diseases. However, there are limited studies that have shown direct relationship between soil bacterial composition and its effect on disease suppressive potential under different farming systems. Thus, the objective of the study was to understand the effect of farming practices on disease suppressive ability of the soil using a long-term (managed since 18 years) field experiment under organic and conventional farming management. Amplicon sequencing revealed higher abundance of several biocontrol genera in organic field compared to conventional field. The diversity indices for bacterial communities were significantly higher in soil from organic field. Subsequently, the comparative disease suppressive potential of the two management practices was validated in planta against two model phytopathogens, Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum. The disease severity was less in plants treated with microbiome from organic field compared to that of conventional field. The study revealed the key taxa such as Flavobacterium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Planctomycetes etc. with potential to impart disease suppressiveness in organic field. This can serve as the basis for generation of synthetic microbial community to induce suppressiveness in otherwise conducive soil.
... Grapevines are one of the most common perennial crops [1] and in 2020, an estimated 7.3 million hectares of the world's surface area was under vines [2]. The high demand for wine in Europe led to a great exploitation of farmland, with an intensification in the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and intensive agronomic practices. ...
The high demand for wine in Europe has increased the impact of viticulture on the environment. In line with European objectives, more sustainable agronomic practices have spread as an alternative to traditional management. This study aimed to compare, in a vineyard of Pinot blanc and Rhine Riesling in northeast Italy, the integrated agronomic practices (INT) with two types of organic management (ORG1—cattle manure and ORG2—green manure), in terms of production, grape quality, pest susceptibility, and soil nutrient availability. The results, after the fifth, sixth, and seventh year of testing, showed that organic management obtained a yield and vegetative features comparable to INT. Grape quality also did not show considerable overall differences between the theses in the must properties, despite the higher total sugar content and lower yeast available in ORG1. In the three-year period, the management of downy mildew, powdery mildew, and rot, as well as the soil fertilization, with the products available in organic farming proved to be comparable to the INT method. The application of cattle manure contributed by enriching the soil in K and P, while a balanced green manure mix has proven to be the best agronomic practice in terms of the release of mineral N during the phenological stages of greatest need of the vine. Organic management appears as an agronomic strategy able quantitatively and qualitatively support the vineyard system.
... Organic agriculture also brings economic benefits to farmers. Most certified organic farmers from developing countries produce cash crops (e.g., coffee, tea, cocoa, tropical fruits) and export them to developing countries, where they receive a significant price premium for their products (Lernoud & Willer, 2019). ...
Currently, we are at a point of unprecedented changes in the climate, which is affecting the food chain across the agro-biodiversity. The changes in species diversity in the food web indicate the changes in variety at any of the trophic levels. Adaptation with the environmentally changed conditions depends on the effective use of biological components of the local agro-ecosystem, which is also the focal point of sustainable approaches. Sustainable management of natural resources in the agro-biodiversity is essential for food and livelihood security of the living beings in an ecosystem. In this chapter, a synthesis of published evidence of the complex and crucial relationships between elements of agro-biodiversity, climate change, and the food chain is provided. A review of published articles highlights the status and trend of changes in the components of agro-biodiversity, the factors enhancing such changes, and the points needed to be considered to maintain a sustainable way of food production for obtaining a stable food chain. Finally, the present status of studies and researches relating both of the agro-biodiversity and genetic resources are identified. Nevertheless, despite the need for more knowledge of agro-biodiversity and the food chain, it is clear that more effective action would be taken.
... The agricultural area under organic cultivation has increased about four times from 11 m ha in 1999 to about 43.7 m ha (including in-conversion areas) in 2014 (Lernoud and Willer, 2016); which depicts the growing popularity of organic agriculture. During 2015-16, about 1.35 million metric tonnes of certified organic products including sugarcane, cereals, millets, cotton, oil seeds, pulses, vegetables, medicinal plants, tea, fruits, spices, dry fruits, coffee were produced. ...
India is the home of highest number of organic producers in the world. Resource-poor marginal farmers are many a time found to be ‘organic by default’ while
people of eastern India meet most of their calorie demand through rice. higher
profit from organic produce due to premium price and additional environmental
benefits during the cultivation showed an encouragement towards adoption of
organic farming. Minimizing the dependence of synthetic inputs (agrochemicals)
in organic farming leads to improve environmental quality by enriching soil C pool,
soil physical structure, reducing nutrient leaching and promoting soil biodiversity.
This also protects and modernizes the indigenous knowledge in agriculture.
Although, worldwide research on organic agriculture indicates dichotomy of its
effects towards mitigation of climate change; but better management of organic
farming may perform positively. Yield stabilization through organic management
in rice is often highlighted. Organically produced rice especially aromatic rice in
eastern India has a tremendous future in domestic as well as international market.
However, wide-scale adoption of organic farming still needs wholesome planning
both at farmer level and policy level which also demands a sound knowledge
regarding organic standards and certification.
... • Climate change studies indicate a reduction in crop yields due to extreme weather conditions resulting in drought, floods, cyclones, intense pest attacks which is expected to affect predominantly the tropical regions (FAO 2017;Maggio, Van Criekinge, and Malingreau 2016;Rosenzweig et al. 2014;Rosenzweig and Parry 1994). • Shift towards sustainable and organic farming practices: the growing concerns over global warming and environmental degradation from conventional agriculture has led to the popularity of organic produce, with a doubling in the area under organic farming in the last ten years (Lernoud and Willer 2019). However, at present, the yield from sustainable farming practices is relatively less than from conventional (Lal 2016; Muller et al. 2017). ...
Cereal crops are the most critical source of food for the world population. The recent advances in plant genomics have generated new opportunities to increase plant genetic variability, with tremendous potential for crop improvement. However, the effective contribution of these advances to increase crop productivity depends on how genotypic traits can be linked with eco-physiological mechanisms that produce a distinguishable response of the genotype to the environment.Plant phenomics –the observation of plant phenotypic traits– is the discipline that must fill the gap between genotype and phenotype. Traditionally, field phenotyping has relied on manual or destructive, low-throughput, observations of phenotypic traits such as plant height, crop stage, and yield components. The development of high-throughput field phenotyping platforms and sensors has opened a new era of plant phenomics. This has an enormous potential impact on the efficiency of breeding programs, as it would enable plant breeders to phenotype large number of genotypes accurately.The advances in computer vision and the introduction of deep learning is transforming several traits previously accessible only through manual sampling into high throughput ones. Thanks to their impressive performance, the rapid adoption of these techniques for field plant phenotyping has progressed rapidly in the last five years. The main challenge for the use of deep learning in operational conditions are linked with the lack of generalization where convolutional neural networks are applied over datasets that differ to some extent –i.e. that belong to a different domain– from the dataset used for training them. Compared to the identification of real-world objects, the implementation of deep learning in field phenotyping still has some specific issues that have not been fully addressed by the existing literature. This thesis studies the use of deep learning techniques for the estimation of three essential traits for plant phenotyping: plant density at early stages for maize, wheat head density, and wheat heading date. The thesis is structured into three chapters that take the form of scientific papers, each one dealing with a specific phenotypic trait, and using a specific vector and detection/counting algorithm.
... Alongside the government, NGOs remain active promoters of organic farming and private businesses are becoming increasingly involved. Yet, despite the political support, available statistics indicate that the share of land that is currently farmed organically is still below one percent (Lernoud & Willer, 2018). ...
In many cases, transitioning towards sustainable agricultural production requires farmers to change their practices. These changes can include the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, water-saving, or the disadoption of excessive chemical input use or land burning. Policy makers interested in making agricultural production more sustainable need to understand what encourages the uptake of sustainable practices and what is effective in reducing unsustainable practices. This thesis seeks to understand whether and how information provision and endorsement can contribute to the transition towards more sustainable agricultural systems. The thesis consists of three self-contained papers. The first paper explores the potential of religious endorsement for inducing pro-environmental behaviour and encouraging the disadoption of fire as an agricultural practice, thereby preventing forest fires. The paper analyses the impact of a fatwa (an Islamic religious ruling) on reducing fire incidence in Indonesia. Results indicate that fire incidence decreased in Muslim majority villages following the issuing of the fatwa. For the post-fatwa period from August 2016 to December 2019, the average monthly effect amounts to around 2.2 prevented fire events per village. This is a considerable effect. The paper concludes that fire prevention efforts, and potentially other environmental conservation efforts, could benefit significantly from support by religious institutions and stakeholders. The second paper investigates the role of information provision and training for the adoption of organic farming practices in Java, Indonesia. We use a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to identify the impact of a three-day hands-on training in organic farming for smallholder farmers. We find that the training intervention increased the adoption of organic inputs and had a positive and statistically significant effect on farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of organic farming. Overall, our findings suggest that information constraints are a barrier to the adoption of organic farming, as information provision increased the use of organic farming practices. The third paper investigates whether urban and suburban Indonesian consumers are willing to pay a price premium for organic food. We use an incentive-compatible auction based on the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) approach to elicit consumers’ WTP. We further study the effect of income and a randomised information treatment about the benefits of organic food on respondents’ WTP. Estimates suggest that consumers are willing to pay a price premium for organic rice, on average 20 percent more than what they paid for conventional rice outside of our experiment. However, our results also indicate that raising consumers’ WTP further is complex. Showing participants a video about the health or, alternatively, environmental benefits of organic food was not effective in further raising WTP. Exposure to the environmental benefits video was, however, effective in raising stated organic food consumption intentions.
... In recent years, "Organic agriculture" has gained great attention worldwide, and according to the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), the area under organic farming in the world has been growing steadily and over the next 20 years, its area increased almost 6 times, having reached 69,8 million hectares in 2017 (Fig. 1). The bulk of this amount relates to Australia (51%) and EU countries (21%) (Fig. 2) [5]. The term "Organic agriculture" has a number of definitions that mostly refers to a system for crops, livestock and fish farming emphasizing environmental protection and the use of natural farming techniques. ...
Plant pathogenic microorganisms cause great damage to the yield of agricultural crops and also reduce their commercial quality. This article highlights information on the level of damage caused to agricultural crops by pests, as well as the development of organic agriculture, which in recent years has received great attention in many developed countries. In addition, the data from literature were analyzed on the current state and problems of production of pesticides in the world and their use in agriculture, the use of biofungicides against plant diseases. The importance of synthetic pesticides, as well as, controlling the use of synthetic fungicides, and the use of alternative biofungicides in their replacement were also revealed. The article concludes on the need for public reforms and the role of systematic scientific research in creating a local biopesticides market.
... Оrganic wine production is becoming a better known type of sustainable wine production which focuses on the avoidance of agrochemical vineyard inputs as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. According to Lernoud and Willer (2018), this specific winemaking created in the period 2010-2016 only a small and stagnating market of 5 % in comparison with the conventional one. ...
... Organic agriculture, as an improved agriculture production technology, shared only 0.67% of the total agricultural land worldwide in 2005, which increased to 0.98% in 2013, and 1.5% in 2019 [27,40,41]. Hence, considering its negligible share in the world's total agricultural land, the food supply in 2013 in both NA and LDCs is assumed to be supplied entirely by CA. ...
Although organic agriculture (OA) is praised unequivocally for its environmental and health benefits, its potential for food security is often questioned because of its perceived lower yield. Least developed countries (LDCs), which have a high prospect of conversion to OA, are underrepresented in the literature related to the yield potential of OA, and its impact on regional food security. This paper aims to assess food and nutrient (calorie, protein, and fat) supply, thereby contributing to food security, from OA using yield ratio (YR) in LDCs and to compare this with North America (NA). Literature is the main source of data to estimate YR. Food supply data available in FAOSTAT for 1963–2013 along with the YR is used to estimate food and nutrient supply from OA in 2013. YR of crops shows a higher yield from OA in LDCs compared to NA. The food supply in LDCs between 1963 and 2013 increased at a higher rate than in NA. However, per capita nutrient supply is growing at a meager rate in LDCs; calorie and protein supply are just above the minimum threshold level and fat supply is still below the threshold level. Cereal is the single most important food item contributing to nutrient supply in LDCs, indicating a lack of dietary diversity. Thus, with relatively higher yields and crop diversity, and localized production and distribution systems, OA will have important contributions in dealing with persistent food insecurity in LDCs. However, a concerted effort is necessary to achieve yield gain and wider acceptance of OA.
... The demand for organic fruit products has increased considerably in the last decade due to the negative impacts that agrochemical inputs have on the environment and public health [1]. In Mexico, as elsewhere, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs have a strong biological control component [2,3]. ...
Simple Summary
The Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens is a polyphagous pest that infests at least 32 tropical and subtropical plant species of different families. A. ludens is native of Mexico, and is distributed from Northern Mexico to Central America. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs build upon the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and biological control agents (parasitoids and microbial pathogens), two eco-friendly sustainable control strategies, which are highly relevant in organic farming. In our laboratory study we evaluated the efficacy of fungal pathogens and intraguild predation (IGP) risk of one strain of Metarhizium robertsii and another of Metarhizium anisopliae, when used in conjunction with the braconid parasitoid Diachasmimorpha longicaudata. Our results show a reduced negative effect of M. robertsii on D. longicaudata adults, and a low IGP risk when D. longicaudata-parasitized larvae were exposed to Metarhizium strains. Our study is important for organic, tropical fruit growers because it shows that M. robertsii and D. longicaudata are promising biocontrol agents for organic farming in Veracruz, Mexico.
Abstract
Biological control of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, is mainly carried out by releasing parasitoids, such as Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, and by applying entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), such as Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana, or Isaria fumosorosea, which can be applied to the soil or dispersed using infective devices. The combined use of two or more biocontrol agents could improve A. ludens control, but IGP between natural enemies, if it occurs, may have negative effects. We evaluated the effects of EPF on D. longicaudata. First, we determined the susceptibility of adults of D. longicaudata to strains of EPF (Metarhizium robertsii strain V3-160 and M. anisopliae strain MAAP1). We also evaluated the infection of these two fungi on A. ludens larvae parasitized by D. longicaudata. Finally, we determined sub-lethal effects on adults of D. longicaudata that emerged from larvae that had been exposed to low concentrations of M. robertsii. Both fungi caused moderate mortality to D. longicaudata adults. There were no adverse effects on the longevity of parasitoids that emerged from parasitized larvae exposed to M. robertsii. Based on these results, we argue that M. robertsii has the potential to be used for biocontrol of A. ludens, with limited risk to D. longicaudata adults.
... Organic farming is often suggested as a way-out to this challenge of attaining viable food security. However, it merely constitutes −1% of universal pastoral land and only supplies −1 to 8% of overall food sales in the majority of European and North American nations [6]. Organic is a brand that is recognised and bought by several shoppers, is the fastest emerging food sector in North America and Europe [7]. ...
The argument on whether organic agriculture can produce enough food to cater for the world’s growing population has been debated severally by various scholars. While organic farming is rapidly increasing, the paramount question is to know how organic farming can yield to viable systems of producing food. This paper aims to identify the benefits and context reliant performance of organic farming as a development trail to sustainable farming. Gathering of articles from different peer review journals was used to develop this paper. The findings of this paper show that organic farming has many potential benefits including higher biodiversity, improved soil, and enhanced profitability as well as supporting local production, with locally produced source inputs. The findings also show that organic farming is environmentally friendly, promotes distribution of resources, and is economically and socially acceptable to mankind. In order to have a clear view of the contribution that organic farming plays on sustainability, further research is necessary.
In recent times, the Sri Lankan government's agricultural policy has shifted rapidly from inorganic to organic farming. As a result, organic farming has become a debatable and timely valuable topic in Sri Lanka. Organic farming is an agricultural farming method that applies environmentally friendly pest and weed control mechanisms and fertilizers derived primarily from animal and plant wastes, as well as nitrogen-fixing cover crops. This study focused on analysing how farmers’ general attitudes, behavioural beliefs, favourable attitudes toward fully organic farming, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control influence the adaptation to fully organic vegetable farming in Polonnaruwa district. A questionnaire survey was conducted by face-to-face interviews to gather primary data from a randomly selected sample of 300 farmers from the vegetable sector in the Polonnaruwa district. The data were analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis through AMOS in the SPSS 24 version. The results revealed that the farmers’ perceptions of the adaptation to fully organic vegetable farming are significantly and negatively influenced by general attitudes, behavioural beliefs, favourable attitudes towards fully organic farming, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control among farmers in the Polonnaruwa district. Findings are important for policymakers and relevant organizations when implementing the agriculture policy in the country.
Organic farming has gained attention as a sustainable form of agriculture. However, concerns have been raised about its relatively low productivity. This paper reviews 23 modeling studies devoted to the large-scale implementation of organic farming that explicitly consider food supply and demand, with a particular focus on the capability of the simulated systems to provide sufficient food. Across all studies, the expansion of organic farming resulted in an important decrease in food production, which was more pronounced in studies simulating N cycle and its effects on organic crop yields (−44%). Nonetheless, this decrease could be compensated for by dietary changes and by a combination of other complementary measures. These results are nuanced by knowledge gaps and limitations of current models, particularly regarding the simulation of organic systems productivity and the consideration of outcomes beyond food provisioning. This review adds weight to the recent calls for a food system approach and contributes to future research on the implementation of agroecological systems and global food security modeling.
Growing worldwide interest in Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) requires an exploration of how countries approach PGS institutionalization. Through document analysis and semi-structured interviews, a comparative crosscountry study was conducted in nine Latin American countries to examine how PGS are defined, regulated, and promoted at a national level. The results demonstrated that the countries take differing approaches to PGS institutionalization, and that there is a widespread lack of financial and/or technical support structures specifically targeted at PGS initiatives. While most national competent authorities do not have an overview of the current status of PGS initiatives and PGS consumers, several case study countries indicate a common interest in the development of PGS export opportunities.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the state of organic crop production in Kazakhstan. In the research work, the factors affecting oilseeds of Kazakhstan were studied. The current research work is aimed at analyzing the general dynamics of organic agriculture in the republic of Kazakhstan. The period under review covered seventeen years from 2004 to 2021. To analyze the data, the r program was used and a correlation – regression analysis was carried out. The results of the study, the results of the forecast of harvesting oil-seeds for 2023-2026 for 4 years were presented. The results of the study show that the volume of organic crop production in Kazakhstan has a significant impact on the volume of gross output and arable land. Organic agriculture is the main goal of producing environmentally friendly products. The results of the study can be used at the state or local level to develop programs and strategies on the importance of ensuring the sustainable development of organic crop production in the regions of Kazakhstan, ensuring the safety of domestic oilseeds, sustainable development of the oilseeds market.
As people become more and more aware of health issues, environmental protection, and climate change, there is a major shift to organic food consumption in our society. Among the main organic products consumed, we highlight vegetables because they are a major source of vitamins and minerals. The paper aims to carry out an analysis of the value chain of organic vegetables in Romania. This study presents the results of the analysis of the value chain of organic vegetables regarding aspects such as chain mapping, governance structure, and chain modernization. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with key chain actors. The research shows that the value chain of organic vegetables in Romania is simple and short; in 45.5% of cases, there is only a distributor between the producer and the final customer. The processing function being poorly developed, 90% of the vegetables get to be marketed fresh. The study identified the main barriers to the development of this system, namely low demand for organic products and high legislative volatility. Key actors also suggested some levers to overcome barriers, such as campaigns to inform and educate consumers about organic products and their benefits and better targeted public policies.
Food is a basic human requirement which sustains the dynamics of the Earth’s
inhabitants by satisfying hunger, providing nutrition and health, and catering to
culture, tradition, and lifestyle. However, the rising global population coupled with
climate change including calamities, diseases, conflicts, as well as poor agricultural
practices put a huge constraint on the quantity and quality of food. Modern
agriculture propelled by the green revolution has somehow been able to meet
the food requirements of the ever-increasing population and is heavily dependent
on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery, reducing the quality of food,
and simultaneously posing a great risk of environmental quality degradation and
genetic diversity reduction. The Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) is a
novel approach that holds the potential in addressing the challenge of reconciling
food production with environmental preservation. As this approach embraces zero
or minimal chemical use, adopting the reprocessing and reuse of agricultural
residues has led to a sustainable system that can be viewed as the closest
approach to nature and a circular economy. However, certain constraints need
to be addressed, such as ascertaining the eectiveness of organic fertilizers,
the complexities associated with weed management, and the inadequacy of
proficiency, financial resources, and technical expertise required to implement the
IOFS. Therefore, this study emphasizes the comprehensive benefits that could be
derived from IOFS, particularly agroforestry, including e�cient food production,
improved food quality, biodiversification of crops by the adoption of lesser-known
crops to cater to cultural requirements and minimal capital input to achieve
environmental sustainability and a carbon neutral econom
The paper presents draft results from a global questionnaire survey on private voluntary standards in the livestock sector. Most standards refer to meat, followed by dairy products and eggs. They address a wide range of issues, such as animal welfare and health, food safety and quality, and environmental integrity. Animal, social and environmental benefits and challenges resulting from implementation of standards as presented by respondents are presented and analysed.
A significant body of research has analyzed the socioeconomic determinants of ethical consumption, nevertheless, most of those studies have been conducted in high-income countries. With data from a survey with national representation (n = 11,526), this study aimed at analyzing the socioeconomic factors shaping decisions of ethical consumption in Ecuador, a middle-income country, where agroecological production has been proposed as a strategy to reduce rural poverty while promoting sustainable agriculture. Price is the principal purchasing criterion for 78% of the households in the sample, while ecological/organic label and support to local farmers account for 11 and 3% of the sample, respectively. Brand is the principal buying criterion for 8% of the sample. Consistent with prior research, the results of a multinomial probit regression show that ecological consumers are statistically likely to be wealthier and more educated than their price-driven counterparts. Contrary to the findings of previous research in Ecuador, ecological consumers do exhibit environmental awareness. Those with support to local producers as their main purchasing driver are also featured by high levels of wealth and education, nevertheless, they are not as concerned about the environment as their ecological counterparts. The implications of these findings for policy are explored in the Discussion section.
In low-income nations, botanical insecticides are frequently employed by subsistence and transitional farmers. Their usage is often prompted by the scarcity or high cost of commercial insecticides. Botanical insecticides continue to pique the attention of worldwide researchers, as shown by the constant increase of scholarly papers dedicated to the topic. Botanicals are likely to remain niche goods in many agricultural regions. Still, they may have the most influence in underdeveloped nations, particularly in tropical areas, where source plants are abundant and traditional products are costly and toxic to consumers. Insecticides based on plant essential oils are starting to gain popularity as plant protectants. We examined some of the jurisdictions where botanical insecticides are gaining popularity and replacing synthetic insecticides in this research. Furthermore, this chapter discusses the historical context, prevalent ideas and current state of botanical insecticides and the futuristically viable technology for sustainable agriculture that botanical insecticides may provide.
Mitigating the environmental impact of agriculture is a major issue in negotiations on the future of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy. Organic farming is commonly put forward in these discussions as a promising way to reduce the negative environmental impact of agriculture. Consequently, different promotional strategies aiming at the adoption of organic farming practices have been developed. In 2013, the German federal state of Bavaria initiated an innovative programme that resulted in ‘organic flagship regions’ being appointed in the years that followed. These regions are allocated support with the main goal of motivating farmers to switch to organic production. By applying a difference-in-difference estimator, we evaluate whether the programme has achieved its aims, i.e. whether more farmers have adopted organic farming practices within the flagship regions as compared to farmers outside such regions. The Theory of Planned Behaviour provides the conceptual framework to identify the main factors influencing a farmer's decision to go organic. Our results suggest that the programme fails to motivate farmers to switch to organic production and that there is a need to more effectively target decision-influencing factors.
Agricultural land accounts for approximately 40% of the total Natura 2000 (N2K) network area. Therefore, many habitats and species protected under the Habitats and Birds Directives are dependent on or linked to agricultural practices. This implies that sustaining agriculture of a high natural value is a priority in achieving the aim of halting the loss of biodiversity in the European Union (EU). However, extensive agriculture is unprofitable in many regions of the EU, which results in it being either abandoned or intensified in the absence of financial support. Hence, organic farming (OF), which is most often supported with public funds, can be an alternative to conventional agriculture in N2K areas. This article is an empirical study of the differences in perceiving the possibilities of farm functioning in a protected area (PA) by organic and conventional farm owners. It was examined whether this could be the actual path to improving farmers’ living conditions in the context of legal protection of naturally valuable areas. The study material comprises the results of a survey conducted at the turn of 2016 and 2017, which addressed a total of 292 farmers, including 152 organic farm operators and 140 conventional farm operators, whose areas under cultivation were located within the N2K “Dolina Biebrzy” (“Biebrza Valley”) PLH200008 area in Poland. For the analysis of the data collected using structured questionnaires, a variety of statistical methods and techniques were applied. The study results indicated that in terms of satisfaction with the economic performance of their farms, there is no major difference between the opinions expressed by organic and conventional farm owners. However, organic farming could be an alternative livelihood strategy from the environmental policy perspective.
There is hardly any place left on earth that can be considered untouched nature. Humans penetrate into all areas of this earth, and may it be through greenhouse gas emissions or other types of air and environmental pollution. Deforestation and the conversion of land to agriculture are processes that accompany the spread of humans on this earth, and which shape the landscapes. In this context, tropical forests are nowadays in the focus of forest clearing and land use change. To maintain or restore the ecosystem functions and biodiversity of tropical forests, alternative agricultural land uses are needed. In order to test alternative production systems, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) launched the research project "Comparison of cropping systems in the tropics" (https://systems-comparison.fibl.org/). In Alto Beni (Bolivia), five different cacao production systems are being tested in a long-term trial with regard to their economic, ecological and social impacts. The farming systems range from monocultures to simple agroforestry systems, each under conventional and organic management, to highly complex successional, multistrata agroforestry systems. The plots were established in 2008, in a completely randomized block design, with four replications.
The general objective of this dissertation is to compare, within the long-term experiment in Bolivia, the different cacao cropping systems in terms of their capacity to store and convert carbon, and to draw conclusions on the availability of nutrients through microbial activity. It was hypothesized that (1) AFS store more above and below ground biomass, in the form of carbon, over time, and that (2) both biological management and AFS result in higher biological activity.
To verify this, (1) the different aboveground biomass pools were studied, (2) the biomass obtained from pruning was measured, (3) the annual leaf fall was recorded, (4) the decomposition of leaf litter within one year was analyzed, and (5) the root growth was estimated.
The work performed showed that total aboveground biomass is greater in AFS than in monocultures. However, in the monocultures, the biomass of cacao trees is larger than in the other cropping systems. The total aboveground biomass in AFS is only about one-third of the biomass stored in trees in the surrounding forests. In managed AFS, the biomass produced by pruning can be twice that of natural leaf fall, and is thus an important source of carbon and nitrogen. The half-life of litter decomposition in the different systems did not differ, despite different microclimates and higher microbial activity in the organically managed plots. Nitrogen-rich leaves of legumes were decomposed faster than lignin-rich cacao leaves. Soil quality is improved 6 years after installation, in the organically managed plots compared to the conventional plots, as evidenced by higher carbon and nitrogen levels, as well as higher microbial activity. Fine root growth is also greater in AFS and biologically managed plots than in the monocultures.
The different studies show that AFS have a pronounced advantage over monocultures in terms of biomass accumulation, even if they do not reach the level of primary or secondary forests. The work shows that there is a strong linkage of the different carbon pools in AFS. More aboveground biomass and fast-growing legumes allow regular pruning, which stimulates carbon and nitrogen cycling. Accumulated litter is decomposed by microorganisms, leading to better soil conditions and nutrient availability.
Therefore, it can be concluded from the present work that AFS cannot per se prevent the clearing of rainforests for agricultural land. However, AFS, unlike monocultures, have a better ecological balance, with more biomass and better soils. The more stable and sustainable AFS are therefore preferable from an ecological perspective to monocultures which are designed for short-term profit.
Conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural land may strongly affect the soil microbiome and the functioning of the soil ecosystem. Alternative farming systems, such as organic farming, have therefore been advocated to reduce this impact, yet the outcomes of different agricultural management regimes often remain ambiguous and their evaluations mostly lack a proper more natural benchmark. We used high-throughput amplicon sequencing, linear models, redundancy analyses, and co-occurrence network analyses to investigate the effect of organic and integrated pest management (IPM) on soil fungal and bacterial communities in both the crop and drive rows of apple orchards in Belgium, and we included semi-natural grasslands as a benchmark. Fungi were strongly influenced by agricultural management, with lower diversity indices and distinct communities in IPM compared to organic orchards, whereas IPM orchards had a higher AMF abundance and the most complex and connected fungal communities. Bacterial diversity indices, community composition, and functional groups were less affected by management, with only a higher network connectivity and abundance of keystone taxa in organic drive rows. On the other hand, none of the agricultural soil microbiomes matched the complexity and connectedness of our semi-natural benchmark, demonstrating that even more nature-friendly agricultural management practices strongly affect the soil microbiome and highlighting the essential role of (semi-)natural systems as a harbor of robust and functionally diverse fungal and bacterial communities.
The study highlights organic agriculture (OA) information gaps that need to be filled in order to upscale the
adoption of OA practices. The survey data were gathered from 329 organic farmers selected through stratified random
sampling from Central Kenya. An independent t-test, bivariate Moran’s I, and linear multiple regression were used to
examine the differences in information access among organic farmers and relate OA advice to its sustainability. Information
gaps exist in aspects of soil, water, weed, pest, and disease management. Certified organic farmers significantly differed from
non-certified on access to OA advice, t (139.93) = -3.69, p < .05. Extension advice (Moran’s I = .02, p = .01) and
sustainability of OA (Moran’s I = .04, p = .01) were slightly clustered. OA advice dimensions significantly accounted for 6%
of the variance on the sustainability of OA, F (3, 319) = 6.14, p < .05, R
2
= .06. Improved access to information relating to
field management practices; soil, water, weed, pest, and disease management is crucial for sustainable organic crop
production. Social networks should be strengthened to enhance information sharing among extension actors in the organic
industry. The study adds to the knowledge of the spatial patterns of OA advice and the significance of extension advice on the
sustainability of OA. This study illuminates the current knowledge gaps that exist among organic farmers, thus providing a
basis upon which extension advice can be repackaged to meet the needs of the farmers.
The study highlights organic agriculture (OA) information gaps that need to be filled in order to upscale the
adoption of OA practices. The survey data were gathered from 329 organic farmers selected through stratified random
sampling from Central Kenya. An independent t-test, bivariate Moran’s I, and linear multiple regression were used to
examine the differences in information access among organic farmers and relate OA advice to its sustainability. Information
gaps exist in aspects of soil, water, weed, pest, and disease management. Certified organic farmers significantly differed from
non-certified on access to OA advice, t (139.93) = -3.69, p < .05. Extension advice (Moran’s I = .02, p = .01) and
sustainability of OA (Moran’s I = .04, p = .01) were slightly clustered. OA advice dimensions significantly accounted for 6%
of the variance on the sustainability of OA, F (3, 319) = 6.14, p < .05, R
2
= .06. Improved access to information relating to
field management practices; soil, water, weed, pest, and disease management is crucial for sustainable organic crop
production. Social networks should be strengthened to enhance information sharing among extension actors in the organic
industry. The study adds to the knowledge of the spatial patterns of OA advice and the significance of extension advice on the
sustainability of OA. This study illuminates the current knowledge gaps that exist among organic farmers, thus providing a
basis upon which extension advice can be repackaged to meet the needs of the farmers.
The soil in this system is a living entity. The soil's living population of microbes is significant contributors to its fertility and must be protected. Organic agriculture nurtures the soil. Organic agriculture includes the interaction of humans, soil, landscape, plants, and animals. It maintains the relationships in a manner that ensures fairness, equity, respect, justice, and stewardship to all components. Organic food accounts for 1%–2% of food sales worldwide. In the future, growth is expected to range from 10% to 50% annually depending on the country. More than 71.5 million hectares of worldwide farmland are under organic management. Australia leads with 35.7 m ha, followed by Argentina (3.6 m ha) and China (3.1 m ha). The share of the world’s agricultural land for organic is 1.5%. The country with the highest organic share is Liechtenstein, with more than 38% of its agricultural land under organic management. There were almost 2.8 million organic producers worldwide. The country with the most organic producers is India (1.15 million), followed by Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Peru, and Turkey. Total retail sales of organic food amounted to almost 97 billion euros. The country with the largest market for organic food is the United States. Organic farming can meet the objectives of sustainable agriculture and the expansion of organic areas will increase continuously.
Organic agriculture is a production system based on the principles of complete sustainability, which guarantees health-safe food products. The chapter's primary goal is to pinpoint all potentials and limitations that affect the development of organic farming in Serbia. To this end, the authors analyze the development of nationally available production capacities, normative framework, and organizational scheme of institutions responsible for the functioning of organic agriculture, available sources of funding, market situation, and product placement. The results of the comprehensive analysis show that despite the minor participation in the world production and trade of organic products, extremely modest share of active farms in organic production, e.g., about 1% of the total number of farms in Serbia, and the negligible percentage of organic areas in the utilized agricultural area (UAA) (0.63%), Serbia could be, according to the growth rate of the mentioned agricultural sector, referred to as one of the regional leaders. Further development of organic production in Serbia is of considerable importance from the following aspects: preservation of the health of the nation, environmental protection and natural resources, employment of young people and women in rural areas, positive impact on slowing down migration to urban areas, and strengthening of the competitiveness of national agriculture and economy, which rely on it, such as rural tourism.
Responsible Partner(s): UBO
Author(s): Hartmann, M.; Yeh, C.-H.; Amilien, V.; Čeliković, Z.; Csillag, P.; Filipović, J.; Giraud, G.; Gorton, M.; Kuč, V.; Menozzi, D.; Poschwatta, O.; Quarrie, S.; Roos, G.; Saidi, M.; Tocco, B.; Török, Á.; Veneziani, M.; Vreden, T.
Date of Publication: February 2019
Food Quality Scheme labels are an essential means of communicating food product and process characteristics thereby aiming at reducing information asymmetry on the side of consumers and supporting an informed choice. Such labels, however, can only serve its purpose if they are recognized, understood and trusted by consumers. This implies that the competitiveness and growth of firms supplying food promoted by Food Quality Scheme (FQS) labels will depend on a thorough understanding of consumer demand. Based on such insights possible tools for more effective policy measures or marketing of products with FQS can be identified. Thus, the objective of WP 8.1 is to understand consumers’ knowledge and valuation of FQS labels and the determinants of consumer confidence and willingness to pay for such labels. This report consists of two parts. In Part I of this report we first investigate the importance of different product and process attributes across seven countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Serbia and UK) and for different products (cheese, fresh meat, processed meat, fresh fish, fresh vegetables, and processed vegetables). Each product was evaluated by at least two countries. In addition, consumers’ perceptions and valuation of FQS promoting selected product and process attributes are investigated across the same seven European countries. The analysis is based on online surveys. In each country about 800 consumers took part in the survey.
In Part II of the report a more in-depth understanding of the role of selected FQS in consumers’ purchase decision is provided. Thereby we consider the extent to which cognitive and affective attitudes, trust, and social norms influence product choice. In addition, we show the effectiveness of a modification of the EU organic label in improving consumers’ evaluation of this label. Finally, we provide some insights into the relevance of different marketing channels in consumers’ purchase decision in general and investigate how much farmers’ markets and farmers’ shops play a role for specific products. The analysis of this second part of the report is again based on an online survey.
The organic food market is speedily growing in the current era; organizations in this industry, therefore, need to understand consumer motivations, perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions of purchasing organic food. Based on a survey of 268 respondents, we investigated the relationships between individuals’ food safety concerns and health consciousness with their purchase intentions of organic food. The findings of our study reveal that individuals’ health consciousness and food safety concerns are positively related to their intentions of purchasing organic food products through consumer involvement. In addition, consumers’ ecological motive has been found as a boundary condition on the direct and indirect relationships described above such that the associations are stronger at the higher levels of ecological motive.
Aquaponics is a productive system in which the production of vegetables and fish is synergistically combined within a circular economy framework. Although these systems have been in development for more than 50 years, the presence of aquaponic products in the markets is still very limited. Previous studies have been carried out trying to characterise consumers, although none was focused on Spain and Latin America. In this work, 636 responses have been obtained to a survey with 27 questions, which has enabled characterising the preferences of potential consumers and their willingness to pay higher prices for aquaponic products. Nearly 60% of the respondents knew what aquaponic was and this knowledge was influenced by the academic level and the concern for the environment. Most participants considered aquaponics as a very interesting food production system. They were mainly motivated to consume aquaponic products due to their quality and taste and to the absence of pesticides or chemical residues. A remarkable influence of the household income, concern for the environment and, mostly, prior knowledge about aquaponics was found concerning the willingness to pay higher prices. Therefore, advertising campaigns providing specific information on this type of food production would be advisable to increase its degree of acceptance.
The Food Acquisition Program (PAA) was created in 2003 by the Brazilian government to promote family farming and comprises actions as agricultural products distribution to people experiencing food insecurity and the formation of strategic stocks. This research aims to analyze organic food trade in PAA program context by considering the payout of organic products, the relative proportion of organic products traded and the diversity of products traded in Brazil. Thereby, analyzing the efficiency of this public policy in supporting family farmers. Our empirical results reveal that PAA program has no significant impact on the price increase of organic products on a national level. However, the additional percentage paid for organic products vary significantly among Brazilian states, with some states paying less for these products in some years while others pay more than the 30% foreseen by law. All states trade a small proportion of organic products in relation to the total products operationalized by PAA. Our results add valuable contributions to the literature by presenting evidence that smallholder organic agricultural production in Brazil is still very low and in need of stronger public actions. Besides these outcomes are also relevant for the guidance of public policies in other developing countries.
Organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture. It is rooted in the belief that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy plants, livestock, and people. Organic agriculture has become an internationally recognized system of production that is based on the principles of ecology, health, fairness, and care. It is guided by production standards that are regulated in many countries of the world, and its rapid growth is driven by consumer demand. Organic production is truly global in nature, including small- and large-scale farmers, intensive and extensive organic production practices, technologically advanced and constrained production, and a wide range of growing environments from tropical to arid to sub-arctic. With its guiding principles and standards, organic agriculture offers a unique model to guide us in our movement towards sustainability of food systems.
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