The Farmer Within an Institutional Environment. Comparing Danish and Belgian Organic Farming

Abstract

This article is about variation in the expansion of organic farming sectors in different countries. It is suggested that variations in the absolute expansion of organic farming may be understood through a theoretical framework emphasizing the importance of the quality of the interrelationships among national institutions within organic farming as well as between organic and conventional agriculture. The theoretical proposition is illustrated by comparing the development in the institutional environment of organic farming in Denmark and Belgium from 1985 to 1999. In the Belgian case, the organic farming sector has expanded slowly due to an institutional environment of organic farming that has developed along regional lines and detached from the institutions of conventional farming. This development is seen as a result of an interrelationship characterized by pure competition where very little dialogue appears between organic and conventional farming. In the Danish case the organic farming sector has expanded throughout the period as a result of a series of creative conflicts, both within the organic farming sector and between the organic and conventional farming sectors.