Economics Issues in Organic Agriculture

The motives, benefits, and problems of conversion to organic production

“…Moreover, the relative importance of these motives appears to be changing over time. For example, only 9% of respondents in the study of Henning et al (1991) indicate that profitability is the most important factor in their decision to convert, while 56% of producers surveyed by Hall and Mogyorody (2001) cite profitability as a very important factor in their conversion decision, leading Hall and Mogyorody (2001) to conclude a shift has occurred in the ideological orientation of organic farming. Similar conclusions have been drawn in the European (Padel 2001) and US (Cacek and Langner 1986) contexts.…”

“…Broadly speaking, these motives include concern over the environmental impact of farming (Henning et al 1991;Molder et al 1991), personal, family, or consumer health and safety (Cacek and Langner 1986;Lockeretz and Madden 1987;Henning et al 1991;Molder et al 1991;Hall and Mogyorody 2001), and farm profitability (Henning et al 1991;Henning 1994;Molder et al 1991). Additional factors in the Canadian and US context include dissatisfaction with farm work, the decline of the family farm, financial problems associated with conventional farming, lifestyle (Hall and Mogyorody 2001), and the desire to live harmoniously with nature (Sullivan et al 1996).…”

Food Sustainability Challenges in the Developing World

“…Even some researchers suggest organic farming to be comparable with green farming or as a sustainable agriculture system (Henning et al 1991;York 1991).…”

Organic Farming in West Virginia: A Behavioral Approach

“…Environmental concerns and pollution issues surrounding industrialized agriculture have been found to facilitate the conversion to organic production both in Europe and North America (Sullivan, Mccann, de Young, & Erickson, 1996;Svensson, 1991). Interest in farm profitability and financial concerns also influence farmers' decisions whether to transition to organic (Henning, Baker, & Thomassin, 1991;Padel, 2011). Furthermore, health concerns, be they for the farmer, family, community, or consumer, also appear to factor into the decision to convert to organic production (Fairweather, 1999;Hall & Mogyorody, 2001).…”