Organic Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland

Status and financial performance of organic vegetable farming in northeast Thailand

“…They could also earn some income by selling the surplus organic vegetables. This is consistent with findings of studies conducted elsewhere which indicated that most of the small farmers' motivation to grow organic crops is attributed to their concern about their own health and environmental conditions rather than economic benefits (Conacher and Conacher, 1982;Dubgaard and Sorensen, 1988;Lockeritz and Madden, 1987;Milder et al, 1991;Willer and Gilmour, 1992;Hong, 1994;Sullivan et al, 1996;Sierra et al, 2008).…”

The Geography of Organic Farming in England and Wales in the 1990s

“…Not surprisingly, therefore, LQ values were much lower, indicating a high degree of spatial dispersion. These results are not surprising as Willer and Gillmor (1992) found that many farmers experiment with organic grassland production before deciding to convert their entire holding to organic production. They also noted that farmers tended to convert their land piecemeal, with grassland conversion being relatively simple if it involves existing traditional pastureland that has been formerly LQ value >2.50 2.00-2.50 1.50-1.99 1.00-1.49 <1.00 Figure 5.…”

“…For example, some people are rejecting meat for these reasons (Beardsworth & Keil 1992). This usually coincides with other lifestyle attri-butes such as ethical and religious commitment, often among organic farmers themselves (Willer & Gillmor 1992;Tovey 1997). UK supermarkets have responded to consumer concerns by supplying an increasing range of organic food products and introducing quality assurance schemes (Young & Morris 1997).…”

“…Despite the`coming together' of these factors, the geographical and socio-economic dimensions of organic farming remain underresearched. Nevertheless, the dislike of conventional agriculture was emphasised by Willer and Gillmor (1992) in a study of Irish organic farmers. Similarly, Lockeretz (1995) found signi®cant differences in the length of farming experience and ethical commitment between organic and conventional farmers in Massachusetts, and Tovey (1997) suggested that organic farmers from non-farming backgrounds had been attracted to sparsely populated areas in Ireland to experiment with alternative ways of living.…”

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

“…Outside of North America, husbandry-related, financial, and/or personal health concerns have been reported as motives for conversion (Padel 2001), while others have cited the challenge of organic production and ability to use specialized skills (i.e., human capital) (Midmore et al 2001;Niemeyer and Lombard 2003) as drivers of conversion. Ideological, philosophical, and religious beliefs can also motivate conversion (Conacher and Conacher 1982;Willer and Gillmor 1992;Hong 1994;Rigby et al 2001), alongside concerns over profitability and market demand (Svensson 1991;Hong 1994;Howlett et al 2002), food quality and safety (Svensson 1991;Hong 1994;Fairweather 1999;Howlett et al 2002), environmental protection (Svensson 1991) and, more broadly, levels of pesticide use (Hong 1994;Kaltoft 1999).…”