Nordic Agriculture Air and Climate

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Nordic Agriculture Air and Climate TemaNord 2015:570 TemaNord TemaNord 2015:570 TemaNord Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K www.norden.org Nordic agriculture air and climate Baseline and system analysis report Nordic agriculture air and climate This report constitutes the main outputs of the project “Pathways to a Nordic food system that contributes to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.” The overall goals are to present the baseline data regarding the Nordic agricultural sector, its greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, the regulatory framework and support systems, and conflicts of interest. The report aims to describe pathways to a Nordic food system that contributes to achieving the climate target of below 2 (or 1.5) degrees of warming and the air pollution target of zero exceedance of critical loads and critical levels regarding ammonia emissions. The Nordic region has diverse geological and climatic conditions that make certain types of agricultural production more vulnerable than others. The policy recommendations aim to serve as input to different policies at EU, Nordic and national level. TemaNord 2015:670 ISBN 978-92-893-4319-0 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-4321-3 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-4320-6 (EPUB) ISSN 0908-6692 TN2015570 omslag.indd 1 21-07-2015 12:31:29 Nordic agriculture air and climate Baseline and system analysis report Anne Antman, Stein Brubæk, Bente Hessellund Andersen, Kajsa Lindqvist, Miriam Markus-Johansson, Jacob Sørensen and Jenny Teerikangas TemaNord 2015:570 Nordic agriculture air and climate Baseline and system analysis report Anne Antman, Stein Brubæk, Bente Hessellund Andersen, Kajsa Lindqvist, Miriam Markus-Johansson, Jacob Sørensen and Jenny Teerikangas ISBN 978-92-893-4319-0 (PRINT) ISBN 978-92-893-4321-3 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-893-4320-6 (EPUB) http://dx.doi.org/10.6027/TN2015-570 TemaNord 2015:570 ISSN 0908-6692 © Nordic Council of Ministers 2015 Layout: Hanne Lebech Cover photo: Jacob Sørensen Print: Rosendahls-Schultz Grafisk Printed in Denmark This publication has been published with financial support by the Nordic Council of Ministers. However, the contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or recom- mendations of the Nordic Council of Ministers. www.norden.org/nordpub Nordic co-operation Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involv- ing Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland. Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an im- portant role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe. Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Common Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive. Nordic Council of Ministers Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen K Phone (+45) 3396 0200 www.norden.org Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 7 Preface ..........................................................................................................................................................13 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................15 1.1 Scope ........................................................................................................................................15 1.2 Target groups .......................................................................................................................16 1.3 Objectives of the report ...................................................................................................16 1.4 Methodology .........................................................................................................................18 1.5 Policy context .......................................................................................................................19 2. Agriculture in the Nordic countries ..........................................................................................21 2.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................21 2.2 Agricultural structures and land uses ........................................................................21 2.3 Agricultural production ...................................................................................................23 2.4 Jobs/employment ...............................................................................................................25 2.5 Imports/exports .................................................................................................................26 2.6 Conclusions ...........................................................................................................................29 3. Agriculture, greenhouse gases and air pollutants ..............................................................31 3.1 Overview of significant pollutants ..............................................................................31 3.2 Overview of national agricultural emissions ..........................................................33 3.3 Emissions per pollutant and country .........................................................................35 3.4 Projected emissions ...........................................................................................................44 3.5 Conclusions ...........................................................................................................................46 4. Manure regulation, incentives for emission control and conflicts of interests ................................................................................................................................................49 4.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................49 4.2 Legislative framework on manure regulation ........................................................50 4.3 Current measures and incentives ................................................................................53 4.4 Conflicts of interests – some examples ......................................................................57 5. System analysis ................................................................................................................................. 63 5.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................63 5.2 System boundaries .............................................................................................................63 5.3 Socio-economic systems ..................................................................................................68 5.4 Synthesis: Towards an integrated system model .................................................73 6. Measures to reduce emissions ....................................................................................................77 6.1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................77 6.2 Inventory of measures ......................................................................................................78 6.3 Cases studies on emission-reducing practices .......................................................96 7. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 111 7.1 Main findings ..................................................................................................................... 111 7.2 Lessons learned ................................................................................................................ 114 7.3 Preliminary recommendations .................................................................................. 115 Tables and figures ................................................................................................................................. 117 References ................................................................................................................................................ 119 Sammanfattning .....................................................................................................................................125 Rapportens huvudsakliga slutledningar ..............................................................................127 Preliminära rekommendationer .............................................................................................128 Annex 1: National Report: Agriculture in Denmark ...............................................................131 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................131 A brief description of the agricultural sector over a 30 year-period .......................131 Agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases and ammonia – over the last 20 years .....................................................................................................135 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................156
Recommended publications
  • Finnish Agriculture and Food Sector 2016/17
    Natural resources and bioeconomy studies 49/2017 Finnish agriculture and food sector 2016/17 Jyrki Niemi and Minna Väre (eds.) Natural resources and bioeconomy studies 49/2017 Finnish agriculture and food sector 2016/17 Jyrki Niemi and Minna Väre (eds.) Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki 2017 Report drawn up by: Jansik Csaba chapters 1.3, 1.4 Karhula Timo chapters 2.2, 2.4, 3 Knuuttila Marja chapters 1.1, 1.2 Koikkalainen Kauko chapter 5 Koivisto Anu chapter 2.3 Latukka Arto chapter 4.3 Miettinen Antti chapter 5 Mäkilä Outi layout Niemi Jarkko chapter 2.4 Niemi Jyrki chapters 2.1, 3, editor Rantala Olli chapter 4.2 Sulkava Mika chapter 4.3 Tauriainen Jukka chapter 4.2 Valtiala Juho chapters 2.1, 3 Väre Minna chapter 4.1, editor ISBN: 978-952-326-444-1 (Print) ISBN: 978-952-326-445-8 (Online) ISSN 2342-7647 (Print) ISSN 2342-7639 (Online) URN: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-326-445-8 Copyright: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) Authors: Jyrki Niemi and Minna Väre (eds.) Publisher: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki 2017 Year of publication: 2017 Cover photo: Ulla Jauhiainen/Luke Printed at and publication sold by: Juvenes Print, http://luke.juvenesprint.fi Natural resources and bioeconomy studies 49/2017 Foreword The annual review of agriculture and the food industry in Finland presents a current outlook for the sectors covered and the most recent research data in a single volume. It provides comprehensive information on the operating environment in agriculture and the food sector, the development of the agricultural and food markets, agricultural pol- icy, the structural development and economic situation in agriculture, and the interac- tion between agriculture and the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Analysis of Swedish Agriculture
    Strategic Analysis of Swedish Agriculture Production systems and agricultural landscapes in a time of change Håkan Fogelfors, Maria Wivstad, Henrik Eckersten, Fredrik Holstein, Susanne Johansson and Theo Verwijst Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Department of Crop Production Ecology (VPE) Uppsala 2009 Strategic Analysis of Swedish Agriculture. Production systems and agricultural landscapes in a time of change. Fogelfors, H., Wivstad, M., Eckersten, H., Holstein, F., Johansson, S. & Verwijst, T. Report from the Department of Crop Production Ecology (VPE) • No. 10 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Uppsala 2009 ISSN 1653-5375 ISBN 978-91-86197-55-1 Strategic Analysis of Swedish Agriculture Production systems and agricultural landscapes in a time of change Swedish title of parent project: Framtidsanalys av svenskt jordbruk Odlingssystem och jordbrukslandskap i förändring (FANAN) Håkan Fogelfors1, Maria Wivstad1, Henrik Eckersten1, Fredrik Holstein2, Susanne Johansson3and Theo Verwijst1 1 Department of Crop Production Ecology (VPE) 2 Department of Economy 3 Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CUL) As requested by The Faculty of Natural Resources and Agriculture Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Diagrams and illustrations on pages 1, 17, 19, 35, 37, 38, 41, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50 and 51: production by Fredrik M Stendahl www.ritaren.se 4 Preface The project Strategic Analysis of Swedish Agriculture (FANAN) was initiated through a dialogue between the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agriculture and the Department of Crop Production Ecology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, at the end of 2005. The objectives were to: ● Identify possible future changes affecting agriculture in terms of climate change, resource availability and economic globalisation.
    [Show full text]
  • No 67.1 67.1
    Economic, social and institutional factors in the growth of agri-food sector nono 67.1 in Europe WarsawWarsaw 2013 Economic, social and institutional factors in the growth of agri-food sector in Europe Economic, social and institutional factors in the growth of agri-food sector in Europe Scientific editors: prof. dr hab. Andrzej Kowalski dr inż. Paweł Chmieliński dr Marek Wigier Warsaw 2013 Competitiveness of the Polish food economy in the conditions of globalization and European integration dr hab. Renata Grochowska, prof. of the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics – National Research Institute dr in. Zbigniew Floriaczyk, Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics – National Research Institute Leszek lipski AKME Projekty Sp. z o.o. Contact Language Services. 3-1 Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki ywnociowej – Pastwowy Instytut Badawczy ul. witokrzyska 20, 00-002 Warszawa tel.: (22) 50 54 444 faks: (22) 50 54 636 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.ierigz.waw.pl Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................... 9 1. Institutional restrictions concerning growth and development of P olish farms .......... 11 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 1.2. Changes in the structure of farms before 2004 and after 2004 ..................................... 13 1.3. Projection of farm income for 2013 .............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Impacts of Livestock Production in Sweden - an Input-Output Approach
    Economic impacts of livestock production in Sweden - An input-output approach Gunnar Lindberg Helena Hansson Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Working Paper Series 2009/1 Department of Economics / Institutionen för ekonomi Uppsala 2009 ISSN 1401-4084 ISRN SLU-EKON-WPS-09/1—SE ii Economic impacts of livestock production in Sweden - An input-output approach © Gunnar Lindberg & Helena Hansson Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet Institutionen för ekonomi Box 7013 750 07 UPPSALA ISSN: 1401-4084 ISRN: SLU-EKON-WPS-09/01 -SE Tryck: SLU, Institutionen för ekonomi, Uppsala 2009. iii iv Executive summary This study uses a disaggregated input-output (IO) table of Sweden to assess the economic impacts of different production lines within Swedish agriculture. Focus has especially been placed on the differences between different types of livestock production and the differences between livestock and arable productions. Swedish agriculture was divided into the production lines, or sectors, cattle (milk and beef), pig, poultry and egg, sheep, mixed livestock production, cereals and mixed farm production, and the importance and potential of each one of them were assessed. To enable such a detailed analysis we first developed and applied a method for disaggregating the single agricultural account in the Swedish IO table. To do so we disaggregated the inputs and outputs of all production lines identified in the study. We used farm accounting data for Sweden together with sector specific data from Statistics Sweden and Agriwise to determine the purchases and sales of different farm types. Within the so called Make-Use framework of the IO table we allowed different farm types to produce more than one output to take the normal heterogeneity of farm production into consideration.
    [Show full text]
  • Positive Trends in Organic Carbon Storage in Swedish Agricultural
    1 Positive trends in organic carbon storage in Swedish 2 agricultural soils due to unexpected socio-economic drivers 3 4 Christopher Poeplau1, Martin A. Bolinder1, Jan Eriksson2, Mattias Lundblad2, 5 Thomas Kätterer1 6 7 1Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Ecology, Box 7044, 75007 8 Uppsala, Sweden 9 2Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Soil and Environment, Box 10 7014, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden 11 Correspondance: C.Poeplau ([email protected]) 12 Abstract 13 Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle as a potential sink or 14 source. Land management influences SOC storage, so the European Parliament decided in 2013 15 that changes in carbon stocks within a certain land use type, including arable land, must be 16 reported by all member countries in their national inventory reports for greenhouse gas 17 emissions. Here we show the temporal dynamics of SOC during the past two decades in Swedish 18 agricultural soils, based on soil inventories conducted in 1988-1997 (Inventory I), 2001-2007 19 (Inventory II) and from 2010 onwards (Inventory III), and link SOC changes with trends in 20 agricultural management. From Inventory I to Inventory II, SOC increased in 16 out of 21 21 Swedish counties, while from Inventory I to Inventory III it increased in 18 out of 21 counties. 22 Mean topsoil (0-20 cm) SOC concentration for the entire country increased from 2.48% C to 23 2.67% C (a relative increase of 7.7%, or 0.38% yr-1) over the whole period.
    [Show full text]
  • Can Sweden Adopt the Living Building Challenge?
    sustainability Article Implementing Regenerative Standards in Politically Green Nordic Social Welfare States: Can Sweden Adopt the Living Building Challenge? Mara Forsberg 1 and Clarice Bleil de Souza 2,* 1 Maram Architecture, Pryssgränd 10b, 118 20 Stockholm, Sweden; [email protected] 2 Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +44-29-20875969 Abstract: This paper focuses on understanding the place for regenerative building standards within the context of politically green Nordic social welfare states. To this end, it examines the particular case of adopting the Living Building Challenge (LBC), an iconic example of regenerative design standard, in Sweden. An extensive document analysis comparing the Swedish building and planning regulations as well as the Miljöbyggnad national certification system with the LBC, shows overlaps and barriers the standard can face when adopted in the country. Barriers are validated and further discussed in interviews with one of the few architects trying to achieve a certified LBC building in Sweden and Swedish public authorities from the Boverket (Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning). Results from the document analysis and interviews show barriers to implement the LBC in Sweden are a product of a conscious political and ideological decision from the welfare state which considers infrastructure, and all its potential sustainable versions, a public good to be provided to all and funded by all. This premise contrasts with the self-sufficient approach promoted by the LBC, which in this particular aspect, can be interpreted as a threat to the welfare state.
    [Show full text]
  • Food and the Environment, Swedish Strategy for the Future of EU
    To the Cabinet Minister and Head of the Ministry of Agriculture On 27 July 1995 the Swedish government decided to set up a parliamentary committee with the aim of developing, from a Swedish perspective, a comprehensive proposal for reform of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). On 6 October 1995 the Head of the Ministry of Agriculture appointed the Director General and Head of the Swedish Board of Agriculture, Svante Englund, as chairman of the committee and, as members of the committee, the Members of Parliament Bo Bernardsson, Sinnikka Bohlin, Lennart Brunander, Inge Carlsson, Dan Ericsson, Ann- Kristine Johansson, Gudrun Lindvall, Leif Marklund, Maggi Mikaelsson and Carl G. Nilsson, and also research student Cecilia Malmström. On 28 December 1995 Member of Parliament Bengt Kronblad was appointed as a member to replace Bo Bernardsson with effect from 1 January 1996. On 6 October 1995 Principal Administrative Officer at the Swedish Board of Agriculture Hans G. Öhgren was appointed secretary to the committee, and on 7 December Anna Lagerkvist (née Österling), Administrative Officer at the Swedish Board of Agriculture, was appointed deputy secretary. On 7 December the following special advisers were appointed to the committee: Arne Gabrielsson, Director of the Federation of Swedish Food Industries, research secretary Lars Erik Hellberg of the Swedish Agricultural Union, farmer Eva Karin Hempel of the Federation of Swedish Farmers, and research secretary Mikael Kullberg of the Swedish Food Workers’ Union. On the same day the following experts were appointed: First Secretaries Carl Asplund, Ministry of Finance, and Håkan Björklund, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Assistant Under- Secretary Johan Bodegård, Ministry of the Environment, and Assistant Under-Secretaries Anders Klum and Dag von Schantz of the Ministry of Agriculture.
    [Show full text]
  • FULLTEXT01.Pdf
    http://www.diva-portal.org This is the published version of a chapter published in The agrarian history of sweden : from 4000 BC to AD 2000. Citation for the original published chapter: Widgren, M., Pedersen, E A. (2011) Agriculture in Sweden: 800 BC-AD 1000. In: Janken Myrdal & Mats Morell (ed.), The agrarian history of sweden : from 4000 BC to AD 2000 (pp. 46-71). Lund: Nordic academic press N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published chapter. Permanent link to this version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-57991 The Agrarian History of Sweden 4000 bc to ad 2000 Edited by Janken Myrdal & Mats Morell stiftelsen lagersberg nordic academic press The publication of this work has been realized with the generous support of Stiftelsen Lagersberg, Eskilstuna, Sweden. Nordic Academic Press P.O. Box 1206 SE-221 05 Lund www.nordicacademicpress.com © Nordic Academic Press and the Authors 2011 Translations: Charlotte Merton Typesetting: Stilbildarna i Mölle, Frederic Täckström, www.sbmolle.com Maps and figures: Stig Söderlind Cover: Anette Rasmusson Cover image: ‘The harvest’, a painted tapestry by Johannes Nilsson (1757–1827), from Breared in southern Sweden. Photo: Halland’s Regional Museum, Halmstad. Printed by ScandBook, Falun 2011 ISBN: 978-91-85509-56-0 Contents Introduction 7 Janken Myrdal & Mats Morell 1. Early farming households, 3900–800 bc 18 Stig Welinder 2. Agriculture in Sweden, 800 bc–ad 1000 46 Ellen Anne Pedersen & Mats Widgren 3. Farming and feudalism, 1000–1700 72 Janken Myrdal 4. The agricultural revolution in Sweden, 1700–1870 118 Carl-Johan Gadd 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Competitiveness of Swedish Agriculture: Indicators and Driving Forces1
    PM 2014-04-16 Competitiveness of Swedish agriculture: indicators and driving forces1 Gordana Manevska‐Tasevska & Ewa Rabinowicz Tel: 046 222 07 83 E‐post: [email protected], [email protected] 1. Introduction Competitiveness is a relative measure, showing the ability of a firm or country to face competition and to succeed against such competition (Latruffe, 2010). Competitiveness can be assessed within the national or international context, in analyses at sector level. Sector competitiveness is often defined as persistency and good profitability to maintain market share in the domestic market and/or export markets (Ekman and Gullstrand, 2006). As classified by Latruffe (2010), measurements of competitiveness generally focus on: i) the production itself and trade characteristics (where competitiveness is measured with production trends, export or import indices, comparative advantage indices etc.), and ii) strategic management in terms of business structure and strategy (where competitiveness is measured by various cost indicators, profitability/viability, productivity and efficiency). So far, there is no agreement on how to define or measure competitiveness, so any results on competitiveness achievements need to be interpreted with caution. Moreover, given the relative dimension of existing competitiveness measures, the assessment of competitiveness requires comparisons of cases and of trends. This working document focuses on trends in competitiveness within primary agricultural production in Sweden. The document considers analytical approaches and provides analyses 1 This analysis is commissioned by the Swedish Government Commission for Competitive Agriculture “Konkurrenskraftsutredningen” 1 and a literature review summarising findings on the competitiveness of Swedish agriculture at sector level, relative to the trends in competitiveness in some of Sweden’s competitors in the sector (Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, UK and Poland).
    [Show full text]
  • Health, Wealth and the Environment: the Impacts of the CUSTA, GATT
    Health, wealth and the environment: the impacts of the CUSTA, GATT and NAFTA on Canadian food security Toronto Food Policy Council Discussion Paper Series Discussion Paper #2August, 1994 This is a work in progress. The Toronto Food Policy Council is interested in discussing the issues and strategies presented here as part of its on-going efforts to improve the food and agriculture system in Canada, and to help create food security. Please forward any comments, and requests for additional copies, to the Toronto Food Policy Council, 277 Victoria St., Room 203, Toronto, ON M5B 1W1 Table of Contents SUMMARY .................................................. 3 PART I ..................................................... 4 Introduction .............................................. 4 Food security defined ........................................ 4 PART II ..................................................... 5 Food vulnerability .......................................... 5 PART III .................................................... 7 The principles and conditions underlying the development of food security and how trade arrangements contravene these principles ................ 7 Wealth ............................................. 7 Environmental sustainability ............................... 11 The Health of Communities ................................ 13 Some specific implications of these general contraventions ................. 14 Conclusion ............................................... 15 PART IV ...................................................
    [Show full text]
  • FAO State of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture in Finland
    FAO State of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture in Finland Irina Herzon, Tanja Rajala, Petri Heinimaa, Traci Birge, Elina Kiviharju, Marjo Keskitalo, Juha Kantanen, Juha Helenius 1 Title of publication: FAO State of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture in Finland Publisher: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 11/2014 ISBN 978-952-453-874-9 (PDF) ISSN 1797-397X (PDF) 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTRY AND TO THE ROLE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE .................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: DRIVERS OF CHANGE ...................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 3: THE STATE AND TRENDS OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE.... 43 CHAPTER 4: THE STATE OF USE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ............. 75 CHAPTER 5: THE STATE OF INTERVENTIONS ON CONSERVATION AND USE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE .................................................................. 104 CHAPTER 6: FUTURE AGENDAS FOR CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE .................................................................. 141 3 Abbreviation: AnGR Animal Genetic Resources AqGR Aquatic Genetic Resources CAP Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CWR Crop Wild Relative EAFRD European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development EU European Union FGR Forest Genetic Resources FSC Forest Stewardship Council GBIF Global
    [Show full text]
  • Conversion Subsidies for Organic Production: Results from Sweden and Lessons for the United States
    AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS ELSEVIER Agricultural Economics 22 (2000) 133-146 www.elsevier.com/locate/agecon Conversion subsidies for organic production: results from Sweden and lessons for the United States Luanne Lohra·*, Lennart Salomonssonb "Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7509, USA bCenter for Sustainable Agriculture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7043 S-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden Received 24 June 1998; received in revised form 16 July 1999; accepted 14 September 1999 Abstract Organic conversion subsidies used in Europe are less likely to be politically acceptable in the United States, where organic agriculture development is market-driven. Persistent barriers to conversion in the United States include limited availability of and access to production and market information, training in management systems and cost of conversion-related investments. By determining whether these factors affect the requirement of a subsidy to convert, we can suggest whether U.S. policy makers need to provide subsidies to encourage conversion and identify policy variables consistent with market-based approaches that could stimulate conversion. A utility difference model is used with Swedish data to analyze factors that determine whether a subsidy is required to motivate organic conversion. The results show that farmers requiring subsidies manage larger less-diversified farms and are more concerned with organic inspection, quality, and adequacy of technical advice. Access to more market outlets and information sources substitutes for payment level in the farmer's utility function, indicating that services rather than subsidies may be used to encourage organic agriculture. To the extent that conditions are similar in the U.S.
    [Show full text]