Organic Farming - Nature Conceptions, Management and Cross Compliance

Organic farmers perceptions of qualities in nature do not clearly correspond with the biologists ideas of nature quality. The differences in perception hold both opportunities and conflicts

Nature and Nature Values in Organic agriculture an analysis of contested consepts and values among different actors in organic farming

The relationship between agriculture and nature is a central issue in the current agricultural debate. Organic Farming has ambitions and a special potential in relation to nature. Consideration for nature is part of the guiding principals of organic farming and many organic farmers are committed to protecting natural qualities. However, the issue of nature, landscape, and land use is not straightforward. Nature is an ambiguous concept that involves multiple interests and actors reaching far beyond farmers. The Danish research project Nature Quality in Organic Farming has investigated the relationship between nature and organic farming. This article will focus on an expert workshop held in connection with the project that investigates the way different actors conceptualize nature. Farmers, scientists, and non-governmental organizations came together to discuss their experiences of nature and expectations of organic agriculture. From this interaction, it was clear that nature is a contested notion. Different understandings of nature exist within the three groups and there is disagreement as to whether emphasis should be given to biological qualities, production values, or experiential and aesthetic perspectives. This complexity provides a challenge to organic farming as well as to the implementation of nature considerations in general. It illustrates an underlying battle for the right to define nature and nature quality and essentially decide what organic farmers should work towards. We argue that successful implementation requires organic farmers to carefully consider what expectations they wish to meet. Optimally it is dependent on a dialog between stakeholder interest groups that allows for multivocality and pluralism

Æstetisk sansning og naturvidenskabelig naturforståelse - et eksplorativt eksperiment

I forbindelse med naturkvalitet defineres målene i vid udstrækning ud fra fagbiologiske betragtninger og kriterier, som ikke nødvendigvis harmonerer med landmandens opfattelse af, hvad god natur er, eller med hans måde at beskrive og forstå sine omgivelser på. Hvis den økologiske landmand i sine beslutninger skal kunne inddrage hensyn til naturkvalitet – i fagbiologisk forstand – er det derfor nødvendigt, at der udvikles et fælles sprog, der kan tjene som redskab i udvekslingen af forståelser. Forsøgets formål er at undersøge den naturvidenskabelige ekspertises forudsætninger for at deltage i en dialog om naturkvalitet baseret på de umiddelbare sanseindtryk, som naturen og landskabet formidler til iagttageren. Dvs., om den forståelse af naturkvalitet, som genereres gennem videnskabernes omfattende og systematiske indsamling og bearbejdning af data, kan iagttages umiddelbart i naturen og dermed også gøres til genstand for ikke-eksperters erkendelse og italesættelse

Økologisk Jordbrug - Naturoplevelser, natursyn og Cross-compliance

Økologiske landmænds opfattelse af naturkvalitet stemmer ikke entydigt overens med de biologiske definitioner. Forskellen i måderne at anskue naturværdier på rummer både konflikter og muligheder

Landscape and nature quality in the development and profiling of organic farming

Organic agriculture has potential for making a special contribution towards nature and landscape and the farmer plays an important part as decision maker. A qualitative interview study show that the farmer's production strategy often has an inpact on how he acts in relation to nature. At the same time it is difficult for the individual farmer to express concrete expectations of nature quality