Inventory of data collecting and publishing institutions(= Deliverable 2.1 of the OrganicDataNetwork project: Report on data collectors)

Despite the continuous growth of the organic market in Europe, in most countries only very basic statistics about this sector exist. Individual country governments collect data which are published nationally and by EUROSTAT (the statistical office of the European Union), on the number of certified organic holdings, organic and in-conversion land areas and livestock numbers. Important market statistics, however, such as the amount of production, consumption, retail sales, international trade and prices at the farm or consumer level are lacking in most European countries. To understand the availability of data on the organic market and to assist in improving data quality and availability, it is first necessary to be aware of the organisations that currently collect, analyse and/or disseminate such data across Europe and the methods that they use. To assess the current status of organic market data collection in the EU and its neighbours, an online survey was developed and nearly 600 organisations within the EU27, EFTA, the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean were invited to participate. The useable response rate was 28% once very incomplete responses had been removed from the sample. Based on this survey it is difficult to state definitively that no data collection/analysis/publication occur within certain countries or within certain areas of the market. The survey may not have detected any, but there may still be some carried out that have not been detected by the survey. The survey has been used to produce an inventory table, summarising the data collection effort in each country to inform further work in the project. The data were analysed for the entire sample and were split into responses from EU27+EFTA, other European and non-European countries to provide an overview of the data collection effort in each of these country groups. A comparison of EU15 and newer member states was also carried out and Mediterranean countries (MOAN) were considered separately. The relatively low response rate made comparisons difficult and means that only general observations can be made. The data types that are most commonly collected are production data, especially land area, followed by production volume; whereas production value is much less commonly collected. However, production area data are not the main focus of the survey or of the OrganicDataNetwork project. Price data and retail sales data are the next most commonly collected market data. Export data are more commonly collected in non-European countries than in the EU, perhaps reflecting a higher importance to their economies. The product categories most often represented in EU27+EFTA market data collection are meat, milk and dairy products, fruit and vegetables. Across the other groups of countries (e.g. other European, non-European) the pattern of data collection of individual product categories varies with regards to the most popular products. Data on non-food products are rarely collected. Data collection methods vary with the type of data collected, but surveys are a commonly used method across data types. Censuses are often used to collect production volume data and other types of data such as international trade data (they are not used to collect data in non-European countries). Expert estimates are occasionally used across most of the country categories. For retail data and consumer price data, consumer/household panels or retail panels (scanner data) are likely to be used, whereas catering sales data are collected by surveys. Import and export data are generally collected using surveys and sometimes censuses but some reliance is also placed on expert estimates. The data analysis carried out in the different countries (across all of the categories) tends to be compilation or basic analysis (such as averages, and ranges). Other methods mentioned include time-evolution, comparison to averages or totals, and sense-checking with other data (particularly for export data). The responses to the question about data publication suggest generally low publication rates (especially for data other than production data); with less than 50% of the sample in each disaggregated group of countries giving a positive answer. Of all the data types that were asked about, production data are most likely to be freely available, but not all production data that are collected are also published. Data are usually published annually; price, retail or export data are occasionally published more frequently. Conclusions The purpose of this survey was to produce an inventory and an overview of collectors of organic market data in Europe and its neighbouring countries. The results have delivered a good picture of the situation in Europe and have shown that the recent claims, coming from various sources,regarding a lack of organic market data were definitely justified. Overall it can be concluded that the market data collection effort remains very varied across Europe and that not all data that are collected are also published. This is problematic, as without good quality, accurate and timely information it is difficult for stakeholders to make decisions about the risks and benefits of investment. There is also a need to understand the reasons why there is currently not more organic market data collection undertaken as well as to understand the barriers to good quality data collection and dissemination. This is the basis for further work on harmonisation of data collection approaches and for improvement in data quality, which is planned as part of the OrganicDataNetwork project

Krankheitstoleranz und Geschmack im Test: Welche Karottensorten bewähren sich im Bioandbau

Im Bio-Karottenanbau ist neben einem guten Ertrag auch die Krankheitstoleranz gegenüber Blattalternaria sehr wichtig. Weitere wichtige Sorteneigenschaften sind eine regelmäßige Kalibrierung und ein guter Geschmack. Bei vielen neuen Sorten werben die Saatgutproduzenten speziell mit einer «guten Alternariatoleranz » oder mit «gesundem Laub». Das FiBL hat 2002 auf zwei Betrieben in Basadingen TG und Kölliken AG Sortenversuche durchgeführt. Sechs Sorten wurden auf Ertrag, Alternariatoleranz, Zuckergehalt und Geschmack untersucht

Tomatensorten für die Direktvermarktung

Der Produzent hat bei der Auswahl der Tomatensorten sprichwörtlich die Qual der Wahl. Kaum eine andere Gemüsekultur weist ein so grosses Sorten- und Typenspektrum auf. Für die Direktvermarktung stehen bei der Sortenwahl der Geschmack, die äussere Qualität und der Frühertrag im Vordergrund. Wir haben daher an zwei Standorten (Hochtunnel in Frick, Glashaus in Therwil) bekanntere und neue Sorten für den Bioanbau getestet, die für den Kaltanbau geeignet sind und für die möglichst Saatgut aus Biovermehrung vorhanden ist

Sortenversuche im Biogemüsebau 2003

Sortenversuche zu den Themen: - Lagerfähigkeit und Toleranz gegen Falschen Mehltau von Biozwiebeln - Sortenvergleiche bei Herbstlauch und verschiedenen Salatarte

THE MEANING OF ‘HEALTH’ IN THE ORGANIC PRINCIPLE OF HEALTH

In the early 1940’s, Lady Eve Balfour concluded in her book ‘The Living Soil’ that: “The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible” (Balfour, 1943). With this key statement she set one of the founding stones for the principles of the organic agriculture movement, later laid down by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM, 2005). It describes the connection of health between soils, plants, animals and humans, and implies that the promotion and maintenance of human health, as one of the highest goals of mankind, critically depends on the health in all other agricultural domains. However, current debates about the meaning and measurement of health are largely disconnected: soil science, plant pathology, veterinary science and human medicine are following separate paths to define and measure health. This separation of debates by disciplinary boundaries constrains the understanding of what determines and connects health in agricultural systems. Further, recent research has revealed that health links among individual domains are both highly diverse and extremely complex. For the understanding of potential mechanisms linking the health of various domains together it is therefore necessary to study the compatibility of different health concepts across disciplinary borders. This study explores the possibilities, limitations and consequences of bringing health perspectives together from different domains, with the aim to gain a better understanding of health in agriculture. It reviews current approaches to define and measure health in agricultural contexts, comparing commonly used concepts in the different domains, and attempts to bring together the presently disconnected debates. Finally, to improve the understanding and integration of health in agricultural and food systems, the study highlights areas and concepts for a future direction of health assessment and research

Neue Randen- und Selleriesorten für den Bioanbau auf Krankheitsanfälligkeit und Qualität geprüft

Im vergangenen Jahr 2004 testete das FiBL an mehreren Standorten ein aktuelles Sortiment von Randen- und Knollenselleriesorten. Neben dem Ertrag wurden die Anfälligkeit gegenüber Blattflecken und die Innenqualität beurteilt

Vergleich dreier Kulturverfahren in der Öko-Zwiebelproduktion

In a field experiment three cultivation systems in organic onion production were compared: direct sowing, planting of set-onions and planting of seedlings with three to five seeds in each tray. The system with set-onions was the most efficient in terms of planting and sowing costs respectively and costs for manual weeding. The production costs of onions grown in the direct sowing system were 50 % higher than in the set-onion system. Directly sown onions have generally the best storage properties. Therefore this cultivation system may be an option if storability of the onions is important. The system with planted seedlings turned out to be the most expensive, hence it is only suited for special situations

Säen, Stecken oder Pflanzen: Welches Verfahren eignet sich für Biozwiebeln am besten? Semer, planter ou repiquer: Quel est le meilleur procédé pour les oignons bio?

Biozwiebeln werden vor allem als Steckzwiebeln angebaut. Das schnelle Wachstum am Anfang und die gegenüber Säzwiebeln verkürzte Kulturzeit erleichtern die Unkrautbekämpfung wesentlich. Der Anbau über Steckzwiebeln hat allerdings auch Nachteile: Nur wenige Zwiebelsorten sind für diesen Anbau geeignet und diese haben eine eher schlechte Lagerfähigkeit, weil sie weniger schalenfest als übliche Säzwiebelsorten sind. Auf Steckzwiebeln können zudem Krankheiten übertragen werden. Alternativ verwenden einige Biobetriebe Zwiebel-Jungpflanzen, um der Kultur einen Vorsprung gegenüber dem Unkraut zu geben. Auf dem Betrieb von Samuel Lüscher in Holziken AG (Schweiz) wurden die drei Kulturverfahren in einem Versuch einander gegenübergestellt, wobei das Hauptinteresse eim Arbeitsaufwand und den anfallenden Kosten lag

Sortenversuche im Biogemüsebau 2004 Feld- und Lagerergebnisse

Sortenversuche im Biogemüsebau 2004 Zu verschiedenen Kulturen wurden 2004 wiederum Sortenversuche auf Biobetrieben durchgeführt. Dabei hat sich bei Randen (Rote Rübe) die Standardsorte „Red Ace“ in Ertrag und Qualität bewährt. Bei Knollensellerie fielen die beiden neueren Sorten „Rex“ und „Rowena“ positiv auf. Grosse Unterschiede in der Krankheits- und Schädlingstoleranz fanden wir bei Weisskohl, wobei diese Sorten unter dem üblichen Anbausystem keinen genügenden Ertrag abwarfen. Die anfälligere Sorte „Guard“ brachte den besten Ertrag. Interessante Sorten für die Direktsaat bei Biozwiebeln (und die Kultur über Jungpflanzen) sind nach unseren Versuchen Tamara und Hyfort. Bei Tomaten für Direktvermarktung ist eine gute Segmentierung wichtig, bei den normalgrossen Früchten (120-130 g) ist „Cristal“ nach wie vor am besten geeignet. Bei Karotten ist der Geschmack und Krankheitstoleranz von „Bolero“ sehr gut, bei der „optischen Qualität“ gibt es bessere Sorten

Results of Surveys on Organic Market Data Collectors and End Users in Europe

Despite the continuous growth of the organic market in Europe, in most countries only very basic statistics about this sector exist. There are a number of reasons for the need for reliable data on European organic production, retail sales and trade. Above all, data and market information are needed by private and public actors to make correct decisions; by farmers and other members of the organic supply-chain to make investment decisions; and by policy makers to calibrate measures targeted to the organic sector. To understand the availability of data on the organic market, and to assist in improving data quality and availability, it is first necessary to be aware of the organisations that currently collect, analyse, and/or disseminate such data across Europe and the methods that they use. Furthermore, it is necessary to identify the needs and demands of end users of organic market data, and to find areas of information asymmetry. The results of two surveys carried out in Europe: one of data collectors and one of end-users of organic market data are presented. The purpose of these surveys was to produce an overview of collectors of organic market data in Europe and its neighbouring countries and a description of the needs of end users of such data. The results have delivered a good picture of the situation in Europe and have shown that the recent claims, coming from various sources, regarding a lack of organic market data are justified. There was an almost universal expression by end users of feeling at a competitive disadvantage because of lack of available data for all data types. This is problematic, as without good quality, accurate and timely information it is difficult for stakeholders to make decisions about the risks and benefits of investment