Improving the regional institutional context for the organic agriculture and food industry

Summary

The impact and success of political and economic innovations on the organic agriculture and food sector depend to a great extent on institutional framework conditions, which determine how the organic sector is embedded in and interacts with the wider economic, political, social, and regional context. A thorough analysis of the institutional context can reveal much about regional options and scope for action, indicate institutional gaps, and help to evaluate the potential of policy programmes.
The paper outlines an analytical framework for the institutional analysis of the organic agriculture and food sector and presents results from a case study of the East German region of Berlin-Brandenburg. It concludes with recommendations on how to improve the regional institutional setting.