Anna Maria Häring

Organic dairy farms in the EU: Production systems, economics and future development

Abstract Organic farming is increasingly considered in the European Common Agricultural Policy. Sound evaluations of the effects of policy measures on organic farms in the EU are needed to face the challenges in future policy design. The effects of various policy scenarios on profitability and development strategies of typical organic dairy farms are analysed for the EU countries—Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Italy. Based on an approach which links simulation modelling and focus groups consisting of farmers and advisors, profitability of typical farms is analysed, the impact of policy scenarios (Agenda 2000 and two alternatives) simulated and farm adaptation strategies forecasted. Size, structure, productivity, profitability and policy environment surrounding typical organic farms differ widely between countries. Dairy farms will benefit from Agenda 2000. In adaptation to Agenda 2000 they are expected to either grow or diversify production. Two extreme alternative scenarios are also analysed in their impacts on organic farms, a supply-policy driven scenario (I) and a demand-induced scenario (II). Scenario I results in higher profitability of organic farms than scenario II in the long term, while Scenario II results are similar to Agenda 2000 effects in the long term. Adaptation strategies to alternative scenarios are similar to the ones forecasted for Agenda 2000.

Policies Supporting Organic Food and Farming in the EU: Assessment and Development by Stakeholders in 11 European Countries

There is no single ‘best way’ of policy development. Bottom-up approaches to policy design and a broad debate among stakeholders facilitate policy learning and innovation. A novel approach of a bottom-up policy design process involving stakeholders is introduced. The first results obtained by implementing this methodology are presented. The outcomes of a large international effort for a development of policies for organic food and farming, which took place in Maj 2004 in Europe, are analyzed: the synthesized results from 11 European countries (AT, CH, CZ, DE, DK, EE, GB, HU, IT, PL, SI) on the current situation of policies related to the organic food market in Europe are highlighted and policy recommendations for the development of the organic food and farming sector are formulated. Specifically, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of policies related to the organic food market are identified and policy instruments used to address these aspects are developed.

Structures and Actors of the Organic Vegetable Value Chain for School Catering: a Case Study of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region

With the European Union’s move towards “green public procurement”, there is an opportunity to bring more local organic produce into school catering. The present study investigates the value chain supplying school catering with organic produce, using the organic vegetable industry in the Berlin-Brandenburg region as an example. It employs a qualitative case study approach to explore industry actors’ perspectives and their activities within the value chain. Data is collected by conducting ten in-depth interviews with actors on different supply chain levels (production, wholesale, and school catering) and is analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that, while organic food is generally important in school catering in Berlin, locally produced organic vegetables play only a minor role. Inter-organizational coordination of value-added activities could help to further utilize the potential for local organic vegetable production and enable joint investments into lacking infrastructure such as pre-processing facilities.

Action research e politiche agricole per l’agricolturabiologica: un primo esperimento in Italia

Using a participatory action research approach, in this paper we explore various policy options for the development of organic farming. The approach is based on stakeholder involvement in an expert workshop process to assess the effectiveness of different policy instruments in each country, and to develop suggestions for ‘future’ policy instruments and strategies to positively influence the development of the organic farming sector in the respective country. The starting point of the discussion were the current weaknesses of organic farming policy and the opportunities and threats for the organic farming sector which could be influenced by future specific organic policies. This provided a first input to an EU-wide policy discussion. Close personal contact of participants in this series of workshops facilitate policy learning and collaborative working at the national level and across the EU and provide a platform to form alliances to decide on further actions.