LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES ON DANISH ORGANIC FARMS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO FARM BASED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Household livelihood strategies among Danish organic farmers are identified using combinations of off-farm income levels, time used for farming, and farm size. This is based on interviews carried out in 2002 with 10 % of the Danish organic farmers representing the national distribution of organic farm types as well as major landscape systems. The relationship between these strategies and farm-based rural development is investigated in terms of engagement in other farm-based activities and landscape management, and it is discussed how different strategies may be interpreted and the questions it raises to the further development of the organic farming

Density, structure and management of landscape elements on Danish organic farms

Density and management of landscape elements on organic farms were investigated for 345 organic farms in Denmark in 2001, representing approximately 10% of the total number of organic farms. The density of hedgerows, area habitats and ponds was estimated and related to various aspects of farm character, such as size, type and lifestyle/part time/full time farms, as well as region and biophysical context. A large variation in the densities was found, the highest densities were found on the smallest farms. Farm size was the farm parameter that was closest related to the density of landscape elements as well as landscape structural variables. Farm size was related to the other farm characteristics

Diversity as a key concept for organic agriculture

Diversity is a key concept of organic agriculture and is intuitively perceived as having positive, but not always explicit, consequences for the internal functioning of the farm as well as for the impact on environment and farmland nature. In two groups of specialised organic farms (arable and dairy) and a group of mixed farms, links between production diversity and diversity at the scales above and below, as well as relations to potential farmland biodiversity, are examined. Results show that diversity in different scales are not consistently correlated, i.e. neither high diversity in farm household on-farm activities, nor diversity in agricultural production are linked to high crop and land use diversity. Furthermore, there are no simple relations between diversity measures and potential benefits for farmland biodiversity

Structural development in Danish agriculture and its implications for farmland nature

During the last decades, development of Danish agriculture was characterised by concentration of land on fewer and larger farms and consequently increasing farm sizes. On basis of three case studies supplemented by national data we explore relationships between farm size change and farmland nature in terms of field sizes and hedgerow densities. Data point to a significant relationship between farm enlargement and increases in mean field sizes. Furthermore, mean field size is negatively related to densities of hedgerows. For the coming decades, scenarios for Danish agriculture point to a continued increase in farm sizes. We argue for an increased focus on the effects of a continued scale enlargement on farmland nature in terms of changes in field size structure. In order to reduce harmful influences of scale enlargement, we suggest that in relation to changes in field structure, agricultural policies should focus on restrictions on removal of old hedgerows and on subsidies for planting of ne

Nature quality in organic farming: A conceptual analysis of considerations and criteria in a European context

Nature quality in relation to farming is a complex field. It involves different traditions and interests, different views of what nature is, and different ways of valuing nature. Furthermore there is a general lack of empirical data on many aspects of nature quality in the farmed landscape. The present paper looks at nature quality from the perspective of organic farming, which has its own values and goals in relation to nature – the "Ecologist View of Nature". This is in contrast to the "Culturist View" characteristic of much conventional agriculture and the "Naturalist View" characteristic of the traditional biological approach to nature quality. This threefold distinction forms a framework for exploration of nature quality criteria in the farmed landscape. The traditional work on nature quality has mainly focused on biological interests based on a Naturalist View of Nature. In this paper we will explore how criteria for nature quality based on the Ecologist View can be developed and thereby feed into the ongoing discussion of the development of the organic farming practises. We suggest additional criteria for nature quality based on an Ecologist View of Nature: biodiversity; habitat diversity, extent and structure; functional integrity of habitats and agroecosystems; and landscape integrity, accessibility and experientiality. The larger set of Naturalist and Ecologist criteria can provide a wider and more balanced basis for developing nature quality indicators that are relevant in the farmed landscapes. This broader approach to nature quality is also expected to benefit the general societal discussions and decisions on farming and nature

Organic Farming - structure, production and nature management

“Nature Quality in Organic Farming” - is a research project connected to the Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming. The aim has been to develop new methods for characterising nature content on organic farms, to investigate how nature elements are managed on different farms, and to discuss development strategies and ways to communicate this knowledge to different stakeholders. This following is a presentation of the results that emerged from an extensive interview survey with 347 organic farmers from 2002-03

Økologiske brug skaffer indtægt fra mange slags aktiviteter

Økologisk jordbrug dækker over en række forskellige strategier for levevis og produktion. Strukturudvik-ling og øgede bedriftsarealer er en realitet også for økologiske jordbrug, men andre måder til at sikre indtægten er fremherskende for store dele af økologerne. Herudover foregår der en lang række aktiviteter på bedriften udover selve fødevareproduktionen. Nogle af disse bidrager væsentligt til økonomien, andre har kun en lille økonomisk betydning. De økologiske jordbrug bidrager således til landdistriktsudviklingen, såvel ved sikringen af en fortsat bosættelse på landet, som ved en række aktiviteter, der formentlig kan styrkes ved et fokus på dette

Collaborative partnerships between organic farmers

A survey of Danish dairy farmers show that - around 70% of all organic dairt farmers collaborate around manure - the main factors for success in collaboration are trust, reliabilty and timely communication -organic exporting farmers are less concerned with distance because the organic network is more dispersed. Development of well functioning collaborative partnerships may increase farm robustness to changing conditions