Conversion to organic farming in mainland Portugal

• Author(s): Costa, Leonardo ; Sottomayor, Miguel ; Ribeiro, Ricardo
• Date: 2005
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/3838
• Origin: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
• Subject(s): Organic farming; Conversion; Conversion grade markets; Market premium prices; CAP payments
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

Paper prepared for presentation at the 11th Congress of the EAAE: Conversion to Organic Farming in Mainland Portugal, Copenhagen, Denmark, 24-27 August, 2005 The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding farms conversion to organic; ii) to assess the potential of conversion-grade markets in removing this barrier; iii) to identify other barriers (drives) along the food chain impeding (easing) farms conversion in mainland Portugal. Results show that the in-conversion period is not the major barrier to conversion nor is a good idea the set-up of conversion grade markets to help Portuguese farms' conversion. Conversion feasibility depends of the organic market premium prices, in intensive farms, and of the CAP organic agri-environmental area payments, in extensive farms.