Development of Organic Farming in Europe at the Crossroads: Looking for the Way Forward through System Archetypes Lenses

Natalia Brzezina,Joost Vervoort,Ariella Helfgott,Katharina Biely,Birgit Kopainsky,Erik Mathijs

doi:10.3390/su9050821

Abstract

Over the last several decades, policymakers and stakeholders in the European Union (EU) have put considerable effort into increasing the adoption of organic farming, with the overall objective of its sustainable development. However, the growth of the organic sector has come with many challenges that jeopardize its sustainability. The question then is how to move organic farming in Europe forward and at the same time capitalize on its potential contribution to sustainability? Organic farming in the EU is a highly complex and dynamic food system and as such this question cannot be answered in isolation using a one-dimensional mind-set and tools of the past. In this paper, we use three system archetypes—Limits to Growth, Shifting the Burden and Eroding Goals—to sharpen our ability: (1) to analyze and anticipate difficulties in the development of organic farming in the EU under the current policy measures; and (2) to find effective ways to address these difficulties. A system archetype consists of a generic system structure that leads to unintended behavior over time and effective strategies for changing the structure into one that generates desirable behavior. The analysis reveals that in order to move forward, policymakers and stakeholders should reemphasize fundamental solutions rather than quick fixes that often generate unintended consequences. Specifically, Limits to Growth shows us that the leverage for moving organic farming out of the niche does not necessarily lie in increasing subsidies that push engines of growth, but rather in anticipating and managing its limits arising from, for instance, market dynamics or intrinsic environmental motivation. In turn, Shifting the Burden brings to attention how easily and unnoticeably the EU’s organic farming system can become dependent on third countries thereby undermining its own sustainability. Finally, Eroding Goals highlights that is it important to continuously improve regulatory standards based on an external frame of reference, as otherwise organic farming in the EU will continue on its trajectory towards conventionalization.

Highlights

Organic farming arose in the first half of the last century as a potential solution to problems caused by industrial agriculture, such as deteriorating natural resources, diminished food quality and reduced viability of rural areas [1]
We proposed a new way of thinking about the challenges to the sustainable development of organic farming in the European Union (EU)
We explored the usefulness of system archetypes as diagnostic and prospective tools which are able to capture the dynamic complexity of the organic farming system

Summary

Introduction

Organic farming arose in the first half of the last century as a potential solution to problems caused by industrial agriculture, such as deteriorating natural resources, diminished food quality and reduced viability of rural areas [1]. Sustainability 2017, 9, 821 hand delivers public goods contributing to the protection of the environment and animal welfare, as well as to rural development” [27] Both definitions indicate that organic farming represents a socio-ecological system (SES) in general, and a food system in particular. When examining a problematic situation such as the development of organic farming in the EU, system archetypes can open up additional dimensions of learning [39] They are generic system structures consisting of a common dynamic mechanism from which both unintended behavior over time and discrete events emerge. We studied the behavior over time of the organic farming system using secondary, time series data available in EUROSTAT and statistical reports prepared by the European Commission [13] and FiBL/IFOAM [12]

Data Analysis

Limits to Growth

Shifting the Burden

Eroding Goals

Findings

Conclusions