Growth Of Organic Farming Research Articles

Influence of Dynamics of Actors and Information on the Organic Supply Chain

The agricultural sector throughout the world has seen shifting significantly by suitably using e-technology. A good number of studies have been conducted on agriculture and food security. The growth rate of world organic farming or business increases to more than the growth rate of traditional agriculture. In Bangladesh the pace of growth of organic agriculture is insignificant. The organic agriculture or organic supply chain in Bangladesh was scarcely studied. Hence, an intensive study is needed for the organic agriculture industry to pursue the organic supply chain that leads to a promising growth of organic business. A great deal of research has been conducted to explore the factors that may influence the organic supply chain and growth of the organic business. Several theories such as the diffusion of innovation theory, theory of planned behavior, marketing system and price of organic products, and quality function deployment have been studied and proposed to enhance the understanding of the issue. The integration of all these literature and theories has attracted the researcher’s attention. Thus, this study aims to explore the influence of information systems, e-technology, and the dynamics of the actors (consumer, retailer, intermediaries, transporter, farmer, and basic suppliers) on the organic supply chain enhancing the growth of the organic business. By adopting secondary data with collected data (primary data) using self-administrated questionnaires the research work was evaluated. A total of 389 responses from the organic agriculture industrial actors, consumers, and transporters were collected using stratified random sampling methods. To inspect and analyze data, Path Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were used with AMOS. The results of the study indicated that the proposed model provided a good understanding of the factors influencing the organic supply chain. From the result, it was also revealed that the organic supply chain has a significant impact on the growth of organic farming and organic consumers and the performance of organic businesses. The research objectives of this study were accomplished and all research hypotheses were supported. This study theoretically offers useful information and collected data might help to further research relevant to the organic supply chain. In addition, the study finds a way to foster a better understanding and knowledge of the organic supply chain. It is encouraged to do future research to study the factors and information and impact of the organic supply chain from various aspects.Keywords: organic supply chain, e-technology, organic agriculture, growth of organic business, SEM, AMOS

LASAM Model: An Important Tool in the Decision Support System for Policymakers and Farmers

Today’s global food system (including production, transportation, processing, packing, storage, retail sale, consumption, losses and waste) provides income to more than a billion people all over the world and makes up a significant part of many countries’ economies. The 21st century’s food systems that bring food from “farm to fork” face various challenges, including a shortage of agricultural land and water, competition with the energy industry, changes in consumption preferences, a rising global population, negative effects of climate change, etc. Therefore, many countries are working on creating various models to function as an important decision support system tool for policymakers, farmers and other stakeholders. Various agricultural sector models see particularly extensive use in the European Union (EU), determining the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and helping to create future development scenarios. This is why a special model adapted to the national conditions, called LASAM (Latvian Agricultural Sector Analysis Model), was created in Latvia, making it possible to use historical data on the development of agricultural sectors, medium-term price projections for agricultural products in the EU, changes in support policy, as well as the necessity for the resources used to project the long-term (up to 2050) development of agriculture. The LASAM model covers the crop sector, the animal sector and the overall socioeconomic development, as well as the growth of organic farming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper discusses the main objectives achieved in developing a decision support tool and presenting the research results: LASAM was used to prepare projections of the possible development of Latvia’s principal sectors of agriculture until 2050, considering the necessity to reduce GHG emissions, made available through the LASAM web application. Given that the projection data obtained by LASAM are public, they can be used (1) for national policy making in rural business development, which affects the development of the economy as a whole; and (2) internationally, to compare the projections made in Latvia with those obtained through various agricultural sector models and projected development trends.

A case study on the opportunity and challenges faced by organic farming in Jiangsu Province

ABSTRACT Entrepreneurship plays an important role in developing the agricultural sector and increasing opportunities for farmers to promote sustainable livelihoods. The study aims to enhance discussion and gain an in-depth understanding of farm entrepreneurship in the context of sustainability in China. We conducted a case study of five farmers practicing organic farming through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The analysis shows that organic farms enhance sustainability through many economic, social and environmental contributions. Additionally, emerging societal awareness of healthy foods and the increasing demand for organic products are among the most important opportunities contributing to the growth of organic farming. Despite this, farm entrepreneurship among organic farms faces many challenges, such as land use rights, lack of business networks and government subsidies. However, the government is the main player in promoting sustainability practices among entrepreneurs and society through agricultural policy development and promotion of organic products. We believe that this paper is the first attempt to study organic farm entrepreneurship in China from an entrepreneurs’ viewpoint. The conclusions could have potential implications and guidelines for promoting organic agriculture policies in national and international contexts. The conclusions have significant implications and potential guidelines for promoting sustainability in national and international contexts.

Environmentally Sound Agriculture Between Transformation and Conformation: The Changing Portrayal of the Growing Organic Farming Movement in Austria's Newspaper Coverage

ABSTRACT Possible contributions of organic farming to solve the current environmental crisis in industrialized agriculture can range from greening the existing agrofood system to being a driver for systemic change. The growth of organic farming has led to debates over whether organic is still a driver of societal transformation or whether it has become a slightly greener version of conventional agriculture. We investigate the changing roles that are ascribed to the growing organic farming movement by societal communication processes in the context of transformations towards more sustainable food systems. We analyze how organic is portrayed in six Austrian newspapers during its time of growth (1990–1999) and in more recent years. Results from media frame analysis show that already in the 1990s organic was not portrayed as a radical driver of change, and the emergence of new product-centered frames indicate an increasing representation of organic farming as simply a green production method.

PRINCIPALES MOTIVACIONES DEL CONSUMIDOR DE ALIMENTOS ECOLÓGICOS EN ITALIA. EL CASO DEL ACEITE DE OLIVA

A pesar del crecimiento generalizado de la agricultura ecológica en Europa, el comportamiento de los mercados de alimentos ecológicos es diferente entre países. Así, en algunos países como Italia hay un gran desequilibrio entre producción y consumo, y se provoca que parte de la producción se destine a mercados exteriores. Esta situación es evidente en el aceite de oliva, un producto emblemático en el sector agrícola italiano. En este contexto, el desarrollo de la demanda interna es una prioridad. Sin embargo, para diseñar estrategias de mercadotecnia efectivas que contribuyan a dicho desarrollo es necesario conocer el comportamiento del consumidor. Bajo la hipótesis de que el principal motivo de compra de los consumidores es de tipo altruista (relacionado con el medio ambiente, la ecología, el bienestar animal o el desarrollo rural y local), el objetivo de este estudio fue conocer las principales motivaciones del consumidor de aceite de oliva ecológico. La respuesta a este objetivo se basó en la Teoría Medios-Fin y para el análisis se utilizó la técnica de “hard laddering”, aplicada a una muestra de 25 sujetos. Los resultados mostraron que la salud es el fin último que motiva la compra del aceite de oliva ecológico, y que las motivaciones egoístas priman sobre las altruistas en la decisión de compra o consumo de este tipo de alimentos.

THE BIOAGRICULTURE-ECOLOGY SYNERGY

Agriculture affects nature and natural resources, changes the environment, and causes environmental problems. But as an economic activity it is directly related to natural conditions and dependent on natural forces. And nature management leads to environmental consequences. Organic farming has a lesser impact on the environment and contributes to its protection. The purpose of this study is to monitor the impact of organic farming on ecology and environmental protection. To achieve this goal the following tasks are solved: analyzing the state and development of organic farming in Bulgaria; studying the impact between organic farming and ecology; to substantiate the conclusions and recommendations of the study The methods and approaches used to achieve the goal and solve the problems are analysis and synthesis, systematic, synergetic and structural approach, induction and deduction, statistical methods, expert evaluations. The expectations of the study are to establish that there is a potential for the growth of organic farming which has an impact on environmental protection.

Organic vegetable production in java - challenge for the chili growers

Indonesia nowadays is in the modernization era, whereas lifestyle in consuming food is changed. The Indonesian want their food in good quality and save to consume. It means that the food should be produced following the rules of organic farming and environmental friendly. Organic vegetable has been known in Java in Indonesia, otherwise the farming practices do not widely apply. The organic vegetable production in Java started in 1984. Since then, the organic vegetable production has been growing and the number of organic growers increase. The growth of organic farming is happened because the farming directly connects to the captive market. Income of such organic growers increase. However, mostly chili growers in Java are still conducting conventional farming. The farmers feel that the organic vegetable productionis more complicated, expensive and of high risk. Farmers remain using pesticides even it is dangerous for their health and products. Chili markets in general do not differentiate between organic and non-organic one. Therefore, there are no incentives for the common organic chili farmers. However, the market for ‘Organic’-chilli is growing faster in urban regions in particular in some supermarkets there. Nevertheless, government supports are needed to accelerate the dissemination of organic technologies, solve the problems faced by farmers as well as supporting the marketing. In that way, the organic vegetable will increase the welfare of consumers and producers.

Going Organic in the Philippines: Social and Institutional Features

Social, organizational, and institutional factors are important elements in the growth of organic agriculture. Through case studies of organic farms and a review of policy developments, this article examines the role of these factors in the Philippine context. Different social arrangements and a supportive environment, for example, training opportunities, resource access, and organizational support, have accompanied the growth of organic farming. The private sector and civil society groups have placed organic agriculture in the policy agenda, but the dynamics in the policy and administrative contexts has influenced as well the sustainability of policy initiatives.

Modelling the impacts of policy on entry into organic farming: Evidence from Danish–UK comparisons, 1989–2007

This paper analyses organic farming entry decisions using a piece-wise linear depiction of policy. Our goal is to ascertain, from the available but limited information, whether Danish and UK policy measures toward organic agriculture have affected participation. Despite considerable interest in the growth of organic farming there has been little systematic analysis of it, although it is commonly believed that enhanced income levels have played a part. Whilst analyses of organic farming policy have provided extensive reviews of instruments applied, generally speaking, the spirit of those enquiries takes as datum that organic policies have had the desired impacts. Yet such conjectures remain mostly untested. Hence, there is a need to examine systematically if there exist relationships between the introduction of organic farming policies and the growth of organic farming, and whether particular policy measures are more effective than others. Here, we take a first step in this endeavor by undertaking an econometric analysis of the relationship between 14 organic farming policy measures and participation rates in Denmark and the UK during 1989–2007. Using two response variables – the numbers of farmers converted to organic production and the total land area under organic practice – we implement a simple, Bayesian methodology and evaluate the stepwise-linear impacts of policy. Extensions for future work are discussed. Six policy measures in the two study countries were found to be significant influences on participation, five of them direct supply-side instruments. For the UK, all of the policies are annual subsidies for organic farmers once conversion was complete. For Denmark, the policies are the introduction of organic subsidies for non-dairy farms, the extension of subsidies beyond 1997 and support for the costs of marketing services.