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.

The socioeconomic geography of organic agriculture in the United States

“…For the organic farming community, studies indicated that farmers' associations, advisory boards, and research institutions that offer training in organic agriculture improve organic practices through their support for farming management practices and organic marketing (Bloom and Duram 2007;Kroma 2006;Lynggard 2001;Nerbonne and Lentz 2003). When farmers shift from conventional to alternative systems of production, it reflects an interactive process in which groups of social actors develop practices and values that enable them to manage production systems in sustainable ways (Kroma 2006).…”

Family as an autonomous institution for local agricultural resources governance: discourse on organic agriculture development in the mountains of Nepal

“…Institution operates at a variety of levels, and their elements can be embodied in and carried by cultures, by regimes and by formal organisations (Michelsen et al, 2001;Lynggaard, 2001). In fact, institutionalisation of family farms is a cultural process because the elements of family institutions originate from the family (e.g.…”

“…According to Lynggaard (2001), farmers' institutional environment has three different interfaces i.e. farmer/market, farmer/policy and farmer/farming systems.…”

“…According to Lynggaard (2001), the continuous and substantial development of the organic farming sector is related to the characteristics of the institutional environment it evolves within. From a series of observations of family-farms in mountains of Nepal, it is found that traditional farmers are the great resources of ecological knowledge and they can readily convert them into organic.…”

“…Without a strong environment, producers and producers' organisations alone may lack the capacity to anticipate market trends and changes (Lynggaard, 2001). So, negotiation skills and power, social and political representation etc., are also important for family-farmers to strengthen their institutional environment.…”