The level of production in a variety of organic production systems is often lower than in other traditional production systems. In poultry production, there is also a direct negative effect of the small scale regarding sustainable organic poultry production. Regardless of differences between organic and conventional production systems, this experiment aimed to investigate the usage of tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) Cheel essential oils as a natural alternative to antibiotics in hen nutrition on productive parameters, table egg quality and eggs fatty acid profile as a promising sustainable organic agricultural tool. A total of 360 Lohmann Brown hens, aged 54 weeks, divided into three different treatment diets, were supplemented with 0 (T1), 40 (T2) and 80 mg/kg (T3) of M. alternifolia essential oil, respectively. Experimental treatments were replicated four times within 30 birds each. The experiment lasted for a total of 56 days (55 to 62 weeks of hens age). A 56-day experimental had two timetable periods of 28 days each: period 1 (55 to 58 weeks of hen age) and period 2 (59 to 62 weeks of hen age). For compound feed supplemented with M. alternifolia essential oil, daily egg production and the efficiency of nutrient utilization (FCR) was improved significantly (p < 0.05) until the end of week 58, with a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the thickness of eggshell, as well as egg production (p < 0.05). However, egg mass, feed consumption, FCR and albumen height, Haugh unit, and eggshell strength did not show any significant (p > 0.05) differences influenced by essential oil feed supplementation. Lower concentrations of saturated fatty acid (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), and higher concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), were recorded with M. alternifolia essential oil supplementation, but without significant (p > 0.05) differences. At the end of the experiment, the obtained results showed that the addition of M. alternifolia essential oil to hen nutrition had a positive effect on production parameters and eggs fatty acid profile, with increased eggshell thickness (p < 0.05).

In this paper, the authors analyze products from the organic farming system from consumption and consumers. The research aimed to determine the characteristics of the Serbian organic market, discover attitudes, practices, and features of different organic food consumers and identify factors that influence organic products’ purchase. This was done following the theoretical framework of green marketing, which refers to the holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customers and society’s needs for profitably and sustainability. The research for this study was conducted in Novi Sad and Belgrade in late 2015 and early 2016. The sample included 496 respondents over 18 years of age, varying levels of education, marital status, and other sociodemographic characteristics. The sample was divided into three internally homogeneous yet mutually heterogeneous clusters according to three criteria: factors that generally influence their food purchasing decisions, their opinions regarding characteristics of food products and their eating habits, and their sociodemographic characteristics. The analysis shows that organic consumers can be divided into three clusters with corresponding components related to aspects of products that are sold in the Serbian market. In Cluster 1, respondents who assign the least importance to whether they eat “healthy” products and to the number of calories in those products are presented. Cluster 2 respondents care most about what they consume, and in Cluster 3, respondents assign importance to eat “healthy” food. The findings of this study show that the decision whether to buy organic products or not is predominantly determined by the price and quality of products (which is also related to the socio-economic characteristics of consumers) so that eco-marketing should therefore be more directed towards those consumers who are already “more environmentally and health-conscious”, because in this way, the desired results of improving the domestic market of organic products will be achieved.

SummaryThe authors are discussing the concept of organic production, its origins and development. Organic agriculture has been developed in three stages: stage of emergence (1924-1970), stage of expansion (1970-1990) and stage of growth (after 1990

Sažetak: Autori razmatraju koncept organske poljoprivredne proizvodnje sa akcentom na njene ekonomske performanse. Istraživanje je pokazalo da su ukupni troškovi organskih farmi u proseku niži od troškova na konvencionalnim farmama. Varijabilni troškovi su 30 -40% niži. S druge strane, fiksni troškovi su i do 45% veći od onih iz konvencionalne proizvodnje. Analiza ekonomske situacije organskih farmi u Evropi pokazuje da su u proseku profiti odnosno bruto marže slične onima na uporedivim konvencionalnim farmama, odnosno kreću se u rasponu od +/-20% od profita sličnih konvencionalnih farmi. Istraživanje sprovedeno na teritoriji Republike Srbije među organskim proizvođačima je pokazalo da su bruto marže u organskoj proizvodnji u proseku za 20% više u odnosu na konvencionalnu proizvodnju. Samim tim je ekonomski aspekt organske proizvodnje kod prikazanih kulutra povoljniji u odnosu na konvencionalnu proizvodnju.Ključne reči: organska proizvodnja / troškovi / ekonomski aspekti / bruto marža

The authors discuss the possibility of applying the theory of diffusion of innovations in the concept of organic farming. Agricultural and food sector has been exposed to significant changes over the past two centuries. That was very significant for the theory of diffusion of innovations that sought to better understand the process of knowledge transfer and adoption of innovations. Organic farming has developed as a response to the environmental and other problems of conventional agriculture. Also, it is a reaction to some issues regarding rural development. By introducing the theory of diffusion of innovation, the aim of the paper is to take into the consideration the possibility of its application to the organic system analysis. By that, we wish to take into account all the specifics which enable to observe the system of organic farming as an innovation itself. The authors conclude that the theory of diffusion of innovations can be used in the research of organic farming systems, with the respect of all characteristics and particularities of organic farming.