Spatial variation in the localization of Danish organic farms

By Pia Frederiksen, National Environmental Research Institute, and Vibeke Langer, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University

In Denmark subsidies for organic farming are horizontal, that is, all farmers who fulfil the criteria can obtain them. The subsidies has until now been given as well for certification (conversion support) as for production.

It is well known, however, that the localisation of organic farms has taken place with a varying intensity in the Danish regions, compared to the national average. At the regional level a number of counties show a more-than-average presence of organic farms in 2001, which cannot be fully explained by the general regional specialisation of agricultural production, gathering crop producers in the eastern part of Denmark and dairy farm types in the western part of Denmark. Also within regions there is again a spatial variation in the density of organic farms, which indicates that the local context may be an important element in conversion processes.

Conversion to organic farming shows large variations at the regional level

While certification and subsidies for organic production are horizontal drivers, structural development funds may function as a regional localisation parameter. Only some areas are eligible for funding, and the subsidies have among other been granted to renewal of stables in relation to conversion, thus favouring regions with dairy production. Prices on organic milk in the mid-1990s pulled in the same direction.

Figure 1 shows the location quotient at county level. This variable shows the quotient of the number of organic farms to the number of conventional farms related to the same quotient at national level. Thus it illustrates areas of more-than-average or less-than-average conversion.

The map shows the well-known pattern of more-than-average conversion in the counties with a large milk production, but also the counties surrounding the two largest urban areas had an above-average conversion. Earlier Danish studies have shown that in southern Jutland several supporting aspects for conversion have existed, in terms of a project of promoting organic farming in a number of municipalities, and capacity building at regional level in terms of using structural funds.

The Metropolitan areas and Aarhus county holding the second largest city share attributes like a large number of small, crop-producing farms and a proximity to urban markets and values, but this would also apply for Funen, where a less-than-average conversion has taken place. The project has not yet explored this issue.

Conversion is also a local process

At a more detailed geographical level a substantial variation in the location quotient (based on parish analysis) is seen within county borders. There are also areas without organic farmers at all.

Figure 2 shows the location quotient and Figure 3 shows the density of organic farms in number pr area-unit of farmland. This density is 14 pr 100 square km at the national level. A minor but significant relation between growth in numbers of organic farmers and initial presence of organic farms has been found. These results indicate that the local context play a role in conversion processes.

International studies point to the importance of access to and diffusion of information, and moreover that it is usually complex and often local information, which is demanded. That makes information from other organic farmers important. Only a few studies have looked into these aspects in Denmark. The MAS-project reported from a number of case-studies, and the negative influence of social barriers to conversion was stressed, as well as the positive influence of local fiery souls among producers as well as advisors. A recent study of farmers’ considerations related to a possible abandonment of organic practise shows that social barriers to conversion still seem to exist, but that in South Jutland with its exceptionally high density of organic farms they could not be identified (P. Kaltoft, submitted).

Regional specialisation

Only a minor share of organic farms is mixed farms (without dominance of one production branch). The regional specialisation of organic farms does not differ substantially from the conventional at the county level (see Figure 4 and Figure 5), even if organic dairy farms takes up an even larger share in the western counties than the conventional dairy farms do.

The specialisation is also found at local level (see Figure 6). Large areas are however not dominated by a single farm type

Possibilities for a diverse production

Processes of intensification, specialisation and scale-enlargement, have for decades dominated the farming sector. One of the objectives of the Organic Farming Association is, however, to promote a diverse production - with harmony between the crop- and the livestock production. If this objective is to be understood as an attribute of the single farm, it is hardly obtained in Denmark, where the majority of farms are specialised. The farm borders are, however, not always a proper system delimitation, and in reality also rather dynamic.

The question is if this diversity might just as well develop as a between-farm property, through collaboration among farmers within the local area. The potentials for such a collaboration would depend both on the mixture of farm types and on a certain density of organic farms. The analysis of farm location in the above analysis based on 2001 data shows, that the density of organic farms are in many areas large enough for collaboration. And that in spite of the regional specialisation potentials for collaboration may be found in larger areas. This collaboration takes place already, as a survey among 10% of the organic farmers show that 31% interchanged fodder and manure with other farmers. Thus, the discussion of diversity should embrace this aspect.

The above analyses have been conducted in a smaller subproject under the project Nature Quality in Organic Farming, where processes of localisation in time and space through the 1990’ in Denmark has been explored.

References

Kaltoft, P. (submitted): Has organic farming modernised itself out of business? An analysis of reverting organic farmers. Paper for IRSA XI World Congress of Rural Sociology in Trondheim, Norway, July 25-30, 2004.

Frederiksen P. K. and Langer V. (forthcoming, 2004): Localisation of organic farms in the 1990's - the Danish case. Tidschrift voor economische en sociale geografie.