The significance of organic farming in the European Union from the perspective of sustainable development
PDF

Keywords

organic farming
sustainable development
European Union member states
linear ordering

How to Cite

Nowak, A., & Kobiałka, A. (2024). The significance of organic farming in the European Union from the perspective of sustainable development. Economics and Environment, 88(1), 710. https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2024.88.1.710

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the status of organic farming in the member states of the European Union, drawing on its potential and selected elements of the organic agri-food products market. To this end, we used several partial indicators and a synthetic measure, which allowed us to create a ranking of the member states depending on the development level of organic farming. The survey showed a 50% increase in the utilised agricultural area allocated for organic farming in the EU from 2015 to 2021 and a 69% increase from 2012 to 2021. So far, the only member state to meet the target set by the Green Deal, that is, 25% of organic UAA, has been Austria. Considering the synthetic index, Portugal is a leader of organic farming development. In addition, differences exist between EU member states in consumers’ expenditure on organic products.

PDF

References

Agri-food data portal. (2023). Context Indicators (CMEF). https://agridata.ec.europa.eu/extensions/DataPortal/context_indicators.html

Ahlem, Z., & Hammas, M. A. (2017). Organic farming: A path of sustainable development. International Journal of Economics & Management Sciences, 6(5), 456. https://doi.org/10.4172/2162-6359.1000456

Barbieri, P., Pellerin, S., Seufert, V., Smith, L., Ramankutty, N., & Nesme, T. (2021). Global option space for organic agriculture is delimited by nitrogen availability. Nature Food, 2(5), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00276-y

Barreiro Hurle, J., Bogonos, M., Himics, M., Hristov, J., Perez Dominguez, I., Sahoo, A., Salputra, G., Weiss, F., Baldoni, E., & Elleby, Ch. (2021). Modelling environmental and climate ambition in the agricultural sector with the CAPRI model. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://dx.doi.org/10.2760/98160

Benbrook, C., Kegley, S., & Baker, B. (2021). Organic farming lessens reliance on pesticides and promotes public health by low-ering dietary risks. Agronomy, 11(7), 1266. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071266

Best, H. (2010). Environmental concern and the adoption of organic agriculture. Society & Natural Resources, 23(5), 451-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920802178206

Biernat-Jarka, A., & Trębska, P. (2018). The importance of organic farming in the context of sustainable development of rural areas in Poland. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 17(2), 39-47. https://doi.org/10.22630/ASPE.2018.17.2.19

Brock, C., & Bradford, L. B. (2013). Milk is milk: Organic dairy adoption decisions and bounded rationality. Sustainability, 5(12), 5416-5441. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5125416

Brzezina, N., Biely, K., Helfgott, A., Kopainsky, B., Vervoort, J., & Mathijs, E. (2017). Development of organic farming in Europe at the crossroads: Looking for the way forward through system archetypes lenses. Sustainability, 9(5), 821. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9050821

Busacca, E., Gernert, M., Moeskops, B., Steu, A., & Willer, H. (2023). Organic in Europe: Recent Developments. In H. Willer, B. Schlatter & J. Trávníček (Eds.), The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2023 (pp. 225-233). Bonn: Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7572890

Calabro, G., & Vieri, S. (2023). Limits and potential of organic farming towards a more sustainable European agri-food system. British Food Journal, 126(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-12-2022-1067

Cherevko, G. (2018). Organic farming in Ukraine - State, problems and perspectives. Annals PAAAE, 20(5), 36-41. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.6676

Coe, S., Malik, X., Rankl, F., Bolton, P., & Stewart, I. (2022). The effect of the war in Ukraine on UK farming and food production. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2022-0147/

Czyżewski, A., & Czyżewski, B. (2016). Research challenges for agricultural economics in the new paradigm. In B. Czyżewski (Ed.), Political rents of European farmers in the sustainable development paradigm. International, national and regional perspective (pp. 18-27). Warsaw: PWN.

European Commission. (2020). Farm to Fork Strategy. For a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/472acca8-7f7b-4171-98b0-ed76720d68d3_en?filename=f2f_action-plan_2020_strategy-info_en.pdf

European Commission. (2021). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, On an Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production, Pub. L. No. 52021DC0141R(01). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0141R%2801%29

European Commission. (2023a). At a glance: The Netherlands’ CAP Strategic Plan. https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2024-01/csp-at-a-glance-netherlands_en.pdf

European Commission. (2023b). Organic farming in the EU. A decade of organic growth. https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-04/agri-market-brief-20-organic-farming-eu_en.pdf

European Parliament resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal, Pub. L. No. 52020IP0005, 270 OJ C (2020). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020IP0005

Eurostat. (2023). Database. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

Eyinade, G. A., Mushunje, A., & Yusuf, S. F. G. (2021). The willingness to consume organic food: a review. Food and Agricultural Immunology, 32(1), 78-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540105.2021.1874885

FiBL Statitiscs. (2023). FiBL Statistics - European and global organic farming statistics. https://statistics.fibl.org/index.html

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th). SAGE Publications.

Gołaś, M., Sulewski, P., Wąs, A., Kłoczko-Gajewska, A., & Pogodzińska, K. (2020). On the way to sustainable agriculture - eco-efficiency of Polish commercial farms. Agriculture, 10(10), 438. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10100438

Hassen, B. T., & Bilali, E. H. (2022). Impacts of the Russia - Ukraine War on Global Food Security: Towards More Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems? Foods, 11(15), 2301. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11152301

Hayati, D., Ranjbar, Z., & Karami, E. (2010). Measuring agricultural sustainability. In E. Lichtfouse (Ed.), Biodiversity, biofuels, agroforestry and conservation agriculture. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews (pp. 73-100). Dordrecht: Springer.

Kelly, E., Latruffe, L., Desjeux, Y., Ryan, M., Uthes, S., Diazabakana, A., Dillon, E., & John Finn, J. (2018). Sustainability indicators for improved assessment of the effects of agricultural policy across the EU: Is FADN the answer? Ecological Indicators, 89, 903-911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.053

Kociszewski, K. (2022). Perspectives of Polish organic farming development in the aspect of the European Green Deal. Economics and Environment, 2(81), 154-167. https://doi.org/10.34659/eis.2022.81.2.461

Kołoszko-Chomentowska, Z., & Stalgiene, A. (2019). Barriers to the development of organic farming. Annals PAAAE, 21(4), 215-222. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0013.5814

Komorowska, D. (2014). Development of organic production and organic food market in Europe. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 13(4), 91-101. https://aspe.sggw.edu.pl/article/view/472

Kowalska, A., & Bieniek, M. (2022). Meeting the European green deal objective of expanding organic farming. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 17(3), 607-633. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2022.021

Lampkin, N. (2023). Policy support for organic farming in the European Union – past achievements and future challenges. Proceedings of the 97th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, University of Warwick, United Kingdom, 334516. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.334516

Le Gall, C., Lecomte, V., & Wagner, D. (2022). Oilseed and protein crops grown in French organic farms: an overview of cultivation practices for sunflower and soybean. OCL, 29, 4. https://doi.org/10.1051/ocl/2021043

Łuczka, W., & Kalinowski, S. (2020). Barriers to the development of organic farming: A Polish case study. Agriculture, 10(11), 536. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110536

Łuczka, W., Kalinowski, S., & Shmygol, N. (2021). Organic farming support policy in a sustainable development context: A Polish Case Study. Energies, 14(14), 4208. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14144208

Müller, A., Schneider, U. A., & Jantke, K. (2018). Is Large Good Enough? Evaluating and Improving Representation of Ecoregions and Habitat Types in the European Union’s Protected Area Network Natura 2000. Biological Conservation, 227, 292-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.09.024

Nachtman, G. (2021). Organic farming in Poland and activities undertaken for its development. The Polish Statistician, 66(7), 24-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.0352

Nowak, A., Janulewicz, P., Krukowski, A., & Bujanowicz-Haraś, B. (2016). Diversification of the level of agricultural development in the member states of the European Union. Cahiers Agricultures, 25(5), 55004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/cagri/2016040

Otouzbirov, R., Atanasova, T., & Nencheva, I. (2019). Sustainable development of organic farming in Bulgaria - State and oppor-tunities. Central European Review of Economics and Management, 3(2), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.747

Pânzaru, R. L., Firoiu, D., Ionescu, G. H., Ciobanu, A., Medelete, D. M., & Pîrvu, R. (2023). Organic agriculture in the context of 2030 Agenda implementation in European Union countries. Sustainability, 15(13), 10582. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310582

Pawlewicz, A., Gotkiewicz, W., Brodzińska, K., Pawlewicz, K., Mickiewicz, B., & Kluczek, P. (2022). Organic farming as an alternative maintenance strategy in the opinion of farmers from Natura 2000 areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 3793. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073793

Pe’er, G., Zinngrebe, Y., Moreira, F., Sirami, C., Schindler, S., Müller, R., Bontzorlos, V., Clough, D., Bezák, P., Bonn, A., Hansjürgens, B., Lomba, A., Möckel, S., Passoni, G., Schleyer, C., Schmidt, J., & Lakner, S. (2019). A greener path for the EU Common Agricultural Policy. Science, 365(6452), 449-451. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax3146

Prosser, L., Lane, E. T., & Jones, R. (2022). Collaboration for innovative routes to market: COVID-19 and the food system. Agricultural Systems, 188, 103038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.103038

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007, Pub. L. No. 32018R0848, 150 OJ L (2018). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/848/oj

Salavisa, I., Soares, M., & Bizarro, S. (2021). A critical assessment of organic agriculture in Portugal: A reflection on the agro-food system transition. Working Paper 05, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.15847/dinamiacet-iul.wp.2021.05

Scown, M., & Nicholas, K. (2020). European agricultural policy requires a stronger performance framework to achieve Sustainable De-velopment Goals. Global Sustainability, 3, E11. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.5

Siepmann, L., & Nicholas, K. (2018). German Winegrowers’ Motives and Barriers to Convert to Organic Farming. Sustainability, 10(11), 4215. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114215

Soni, R., Gupta, R., Agarwal, P., & Reema Mishra, R. (2022). Organic farming: A sustainable agricultural practice. Vantage Journal of Thematic Analysis, 3(1), 21-44. https://doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2022.v03i01.03

Średnicka-Tober, D., Obiedzińska, A., Kazimierczak, R., & Rembiałkowska, E. (2016). Environmental impact of organic vs. conventional agriculture – A review. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 61(4), 204-2011. http://yadda.icm.edu.pl/baztech/element/bwmeta1.element.baztech-c4aa26f2-86b6-4de4-a97b-c7633a2d61ef

Trávníček, J., Schlatter, B., Dietemann, L., & Willer, H. (2023). The World of Organic Agriculture 2023: Summary. In H. Willer, B. Schlatter & J. Trávníček (Eds.), The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2023 (pp. 20-30). Bonn: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, and IFOAM – Organics International.

Trávníček, J., Willer, H., & Schaack, D. (2022). Organic Farming and Market Development in Europe and the European Union. In H. Willer, J. Trávníček, C. Meier & B. Schlatter (Eds.), The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2022 (pp. 235-270). Bonn: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, and IFOAM – Organics International.

Tzouramani, I., Alexopoulos, G., Kostianis, G., & Kazakopoulos, L. (2014). Exploring risk management strategies for organic farmers: A Greek Case Study. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 29(2), 167-175. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170513000057

USDA. (2023). EU Consumers save on food and buy less organic in 2022. https://fas.usda.gov/data/european-union-eu-consumers-save-food-and-buy-less-organic-2022

Vovk, S. (2015). Conditions for the development of ecological agriculture in western Ukraine against Polish experience. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Zootechnica, 14(2), 23-32. https://asp.zut.edu.pl/2015/14_2/asp-2015-14-2-305.pdf

Willer, H., Schlatter, B., Trávníček, J., & Schaack, D. (2023). Organic farming and market development in Europe and the European Union. In H. Willer, B. Schlatter & J. Trávníček (Eds.), The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2023 (pp. 235-264). Bonn: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, and IFOAM – Organics International.

World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf

Wrzaszcz, W. (2017). Farms’ production and economic results difference in the environmental pressure. Problems of Agricultural Economics, 2(351), 3-31. https://doi.org/10.30858/zer/83018

Wrzaszcz, W. (2022). Development of organic farming and its environment in Poland in the light of the European Green Deal challenges. Annals PAAA, 24(2), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.8706

Wrzaszcz, W. (2023). Tendencies and perspectives of organic farming development in the EU – the significance of European Green Deal Strategy. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 12(1), 143-158. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2023.v12n1p143

Zakrzewska, A., & Nowak, A. (2022). Diversification of agricultural output intensity across the European Union in light of the assumptions of sustainable development. Agriculture, 12(9), 1370. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091370

Ziętara, W., & Mirkowska, Z. (2021). The Green Deal: Towards organic farming or greening of agriculture? Problems of Agricultural Economics, 3(368), 29-54. https://doi.org/10.30858/zer/135520

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2024 Economics and Environment

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.