Ecological–Economical and Ethno-Cultural Determinants of the Development of Organic Farming in Kazakhstan

Abstract

In the context of the transition to sustainable agriculture in Kazakhstan, the article considers one of its forms—organic farming. The adopted laws and by-laws not only have not contributed to but have also significantly hindered the development of organic farming due to the complexity of their implementation in the Kazakh legal field. The activities of Kazakhstani public organizations, deprived of any state support, are symbolic in nature. The absolute instability of organic production, the multidirectional long-term dynamics of the area of organic land and the cost yield of the products are demonstrated. The lack of demand for organic farming products among the population of Kazakhstan is due to socio-economic determinants, the dominance of livestock products in the nutrition structure of the indigenous population, only a small part of the inhabitants of megacities being the main consumers of any organic products, the exorbitant share of food costs and the high premium of organic products. The reasons for the ecological and economic instability of organic farming are the extensive development model, the lack of subsidiary obligations of the state and the zero-marginal cost of the export product. Conservative, utilitarian and innovative ways of developing organic farming are proposed.