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Barriers to the adoption of organic farming by cash-crop producers in Austria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Walter Schneeberger ,
Ika Darnhofer  and
Michael Eder
Walter Schneeberger
Affiliation:
Institute of Agricultural Economics, University for Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Ika Darnhofer*
Affiliation:
Institute of Agricultural Economics, University for Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Michael Eder
Affiliation:
Institute of Agricultural Economics, University for Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
*
I. Darnhofer (darnhofer@boku.ac.at)
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Abstract

Most of Austria's organic farms are located in mountainous areas and produce mainly milk and beef, whereas a low percentage of cash-crop farms are organic. As a result, the demand for organically grown crops cannot be fully met by domestic production. This paper investigates the barriers to adoption of organic agriculture by cash-crop farmers in Austria. In a written survey, 383 conventional farmers provided information on their perception of organic farming and rated the importance of potential barriers to adoption. Technical challenges in cropping and additional labor requirements were rated as the most important barriers, followed by fear of decreased income and marketing problems. Structural and social issues, such as farm size and lack of support from family members, were less important.

Keywords

barriers to conversionconventional farmingEuropean Unionorganic agricultureorganic cerealsorganic managementorganic vineyardsregulations
Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , March 2002 , pp. 24 - 31
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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