?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Bundesprogramm+%C3%83%C2%96kologischer+Landbau+%3A+Cluster%3A+Betriebswirtschaft%2FSoziales&rft.subject=+Farming+Systems&rft.description=The+Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme+(FOFS)%0D%0AThis+scheme+is+a+temporary+funding+source+(2002+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%93+2007%2F2008)+especially+to+support+the+whole+organic+farming+sector+(incl.+research)+in+Germany.+%0D%0AIn+the+summer+of+2001%2C+the+Federal+Ministry+of+Consumer+Protection%2C+Food+and+Agriculture+commissioned+a+project+team+comprised+of+representatives+from+associations+and+science+and+headed+by+the+Federal+Agricultural+Research+Centre+to+develop+a+proposal+for+a+package+of+measures+to+foster+organic+farming+in+Germany.+A+hearing+of+representatives+from+trade+and+industry%2C+associations%2C+consultancy%2C+science+and+administration+laid+the+foundation+for+the+team's+work.%0D%0ABased+on+this+work%2C+the+Federal+Minister+of+Consumer+Protection%2C+Food+and+Agriculture+Renate+K%C3%83%C2%BCnast+decided+to+incorporate+the+proposed+measures+into+the+Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme+(FOFS)+to+translate+them+into+practice.+This+scheme+supplements+existing+support+measures+with+the+aim+of+improving+the+basic+conditions+necessary+for+expanding+organic+farming.+At+the+same+time%2C+it+strives+to+increase+supply+and+demand+on+a+balanced%2C+sustainable+basis.%0D%0AThese+measures+tackle+all+levels+of+organic+farming%2C+from+the+production+to+the+consumption+of+organically+produced+food.+Plans+include+training+and+information+measures.+Emphasis+is+also+being+placed+on+research+promotion%2C+the+development+of+new+technologies+and+steps+to+translate+research+findings+into+practice.+Currently+the+FOFS+is+the+main+pool+of+the+BMVEL+for+organic+research+funding.%0D%0A%0D%0AMarketing+%2F+Consumer+behaviour%0D%0AThe+difficult+economic+situation+in+Germany+has+strained+the+food+industry%2C+because+consumers+have+become+much+more+conscious+of+prices.+Mainly+discount+stores+have+profited+from+this+development+and+even+registered+rising+turnovers.+The+result+of+this+is+that+production+prices+came+more+and+more+under+pressure.+For+many+foods+production+costs+could+barely+be+covered+or+lost+out+to+cheaper+products+from+abroad.%0D%0AAn+opposite+trend+can+be+seen+in+the+organic+sector%3A+While+retail+stores+in+the+food+sector+are+having+losses%2C+the+organic+field+is+recording+positive+two-digit+turnovers.+Though+there+were+different+food+scandals%2C+these+only+had+a+short-term+effect.+More+and+more+consumers+are+becoming+aware+of+a+healthy+diet+and+nourishment.+Surely%2C+the+Federal+Scheme+has+contributed+positively+to+this+development.%0D%0AThe+consumer+backgrounds+are+rather+losing+transparency%2C+as+the+organic+niche+has+lost+its+organic+%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Calternative%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D+image.+Though+there+are+still+convinced+organic+activists%2C+there+are+equally+those%2C+who+are+occasional+buyers+with+different+familial+and+educational+backgrounds.+Even+the+motives+and+reasons+to+buy+organic+have+become+diverse.+Research+projects+dealing+with+the+analysis+of+the+qualitative+structure+of+organic+consumer+behaviour+(especially+occasional+and+rare+buyers+of+organic+goods)+have+been+realised+on+survey+basis+in+the+Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme.+Furthermore%2C+projects+concerning+the+demand+of+organic+food+products+have+been+conducted+using+panel+data+and+long-term+observations.%0D%0AAnother+branch+of+market+research+deals+with+the+successful+marketing+initiatives+of+organic+products%2C+as+well+as+the+effect+in+sales+promotion+and+special+price+offers+in+retail.%0D%0AAn+improvement+is+also+necessary+at+the+interface+between+producers+of+organic+goods+and+commercial+enterprises.+Many+consumers+are+prepared+to+buy+organic+products%2C+but+do+not+want+to+spend+the+time+and+effort+to+comb+through+the+different+stores+in+order+to+find+what+they+want+or+need.+Therefore%2C+the+need+exists+to+bundle+the+portfolio+of+goods+of+the+manufacturers+and+establish+communication+to+retailers.+Latter+are+only+interested+in+clients+that+are+affine+to+organic+goods+and+want+to+keep+such+clients+with+respective+marketing%2C+so+that+these+will+buy+from+the+retailer%2C+who+offers+a+large+product+palette.+This+sensitive+topic+was+taken+up+by+a+broad+project+of+the+Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme%2C+which+is+currently+running.%0D%0AAt+the+beginning+of+the+Federal+Scheme%2C+research+projects+focused+on+the+primary+sector%2C+i.e.+the+production+side.+But+sustainable+agriculture+can+only+develop%2C+if+the+demand+side+equally+rises.+Thus%2C+in+2003%2F2004%2C+many+projects+turned+towards+the+marketing+issue.+In+the+meantime%2C+the+organic+niche+has+started+to+develop+into+a+branch+of+its+own.+The+increasing+entry+of+retailers+and+also+of+discount+stores+into+the+sale+of+organic+goods+reflects+this+as+well.+Unfortunately%2C+risks+evolve+next+to+the+many+positive+opportunities%2C+as+conventional+agriculture+has+already+experienced+since+several+years%3A+The+producing+side+gets+more+and+more+under+pressure+from+the+buyer+side%2C+because+the+demand+for+high+quality%2C+consistent+and+largely+produced+goods%2C+can+only+be+satisfied%2C+if+a+constant+delivery+is+warranted.+This+increases+the+pressure+on+rationalisation.+Additionally%2C+foreign+producers+of+organic+raw+materials+and+goods+are+also+pressing+forward+onto+the+German+market%2C+which+does+not+facilitate+the+situation+for+the+German+organic+farms+and+businesses.%0D%0AMany+stakeholders+fear+that+German+organic+farmers+will+be+forced+to+use+conventional+methods+such+as+securing+short-term+harvest+maximisation+and+placing+the+optimisation+of+the+farm+processes+in+the+back.+Advances+in+organic+agriculture+cannot+be+achieved+if+only+single+production+techniques+or+branches+are+intensified+or+changed%2C+without+considering+the+interaction+within+the+entire+farming+system.%0D%0AA+solution+for+this+conflict+of+aims+is+difficult%2C+because+economic%2C+political%2C+social+and+scientific+interests+have+to+be+aligned.+This+implies+the+following+for+organic+research%3A+Scientists%2C+as+well+as+those+who+decide+about+financing+of+research+projects+in+Germany%2C+have+to+do+justice+to+the+area+of+conflict+between+the+pressure+of+conventionalising+(i.e.+organic+farming%2C+which+is+on+the+legal+periphery)+and+the+desired+holistic+approach+for+a+sustainable+and+environmental-friendly+agriculture.%0D%0AThe+stakeholders+of+the+organic+food+industry+are+equally+challenged%3A+They+have+not+only+to+convince+the+consumer+of+the+quality+of+produced+goods%2C+but+also+of+the+quality+and+raised+environmental-friendliness+of+the+production+process.%0D%0AThis+proves+to+be+a+difficult+task.+The+occasional+buyer%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s+motives+to+go+for+organic+products+are+mostly+of+an+egoistic+nature.+He%2Fshe+decides+on+the+basis+of+health%2C+taste+etc.+Higher+or+altruistic+motives+are+of+secondary+nature%2C+such+as+honouring+the+ecological+and+social+benefits+of+organic+agriculture.+These+include+protection+of+natural+resources%2C+conservation+of+biodiversity+as+well+as+securing+and+creating+new+jobs.%0D%0AThe+Federal+Scheme+supports+the+difficult+task+to+communicate+the+process+quality+as+an+added+value.+A+model+project+supports+a+dairy+farm+by+purposely+raising+the+price+of+the+produced+milk+by+5+cent%2Flitre.+Then%2C+this+surcharge+is+mentioned+on+the+packaging+as+a+direct+income+transfer+for+the+milk+producing+farmers.+This+surcharge+is+given+directly+to+the+regional+milk+producers+so+that+they+are+also+able+to+produce+cost+effectively+in+the+future.+The+practice+was+a+success%2C+as+early+fears+of+a+loss+in+sales+by+10-20+%25+was+unfounded.+The+project+idea+that+a+higher+price+helps+to+conserve+the+landscape+and+secure+regional+jobs+even+led+to+an+introduction+of+new+clients+for+the+dairy.+Furthermore%2C+new+stores+took+up+this+milk+into+their+product+range%2C+which+were+then+able+to+sell+more+milk+than+before.+The+sale+of+the+organic+milk+with+a+surcharge+did+not+go+to+the+expense+of+organic+milk+sales+of+other+dairies.%0D%0ABasically%2C+this+example+is+transferable+to+other+products+as+well+and+shows+that+even+regional+sales+structures+make+it+possible+to+use+the+processing+quality+of+organic+farming+as+a+sales+criterion.%0D%0AIn+times+of+an+increasing+globalisation%2C+process+quality+is+not+just+a+matter+of+environmental-friendly+agriculture%2C+but+it+receives+an+ethical+dimension+as+well.+Many+consumers+consider+the+moral+reputation+of+a+company.+What+kind+of+values+does+the+company+represent%3F+Are+job+and+family+compatible+for+his+employees%3F+How+does+he+deal+with+his+suppliers%3F+Does+the+company+also+take+social+responsibility+with+the+respective+obligation%3F%0D%0AMarkets+do+not+necessarily+orient+themselves+towards+the+lowest+prices.+The+person+as+an+entrepreneur%2C+as+an+employee+of+a+company%2C+as+well+as+a+consumer%2C+equally+designs+the+market+(un)consciously+with+his+or+her+specific+ethical+orientation.%0D%0AWhile+the+conventional+sector+has+been+trying+to+polish+its+image+since+several+years+with+specific+measures%2C+the+organic+sector+never+had+this+problem.+There+never+was+a+reputation+deficit%2C+as+organic+agriculture+already+started+off+with+a+highly+ethical+claim.%0D%0ANevertheless%2C+the+belief+that+the+product+speaks+for+itself+is+losing+its+validity+in+the+increasing+globalisation+and+anonymity.+Still%2C+especially+the+organic+branch+is+very+dependant+on+its+social+and+ethical+image.+Hence%2C+the+implementation+of+a+value+management+system+would+be+a+valuable+asset.+Within+the+Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme+a+feasibility+study+was+elicited+to+check%2C+whether+there+would+be+a+possibility+to+introduce+a+certified+ethical+or+value+management+system+for+the+natural+food+sector.+The+aim+is+to+get+an+active+involvement+of+companies+in+this+sector+into+the+implementation+of+such+an+ethical+management+system.+Such+a+management+system+can+have+an+internal%2C+as+well+as+an+external+benefit+for+the+companies%3A+internally+it+will+help+the+employee+to+identify+him%2Fherself+with+the+employer+and+the+orientation+towards+its+values.+Externally%2C+this+systematic+management+of+values+will+help+to+communicate+corporate+citizenship%2C+credibility+and+a+moral+reputation+to+the+consumer.+In+the+medium-term%2C+the+consumer+is+supposed+to+identify+him%2Fherself+with+the+ethical+values+of+the+product+connected+to+the+producer%2C+which+the+consumer+will+then+take+into+consideration+of+his+purchase+decision.&rft.type=Research+Programme+description&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.identifier=%7BProgramme+part%7D+B%C3%83%C2%96L%3A+Bundesprogramm+%C3%83%C2%96kologischer+Landbau+%3A+Cluster%3A+Betriebswirtschaft%2FSoziales.+[Federal+Organic+Farming+Scheme+(FOFS)%3A+Cluster%3A+Marketing+and+Consumer+behaviour.]+Runs+2002+-+2008.+Programme+Leader(s)%3A+Lange%2C+Stefan.+More+information+online+at+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.bundesprogramm-oekolandbau.de%2Fausschreibungen_f_und_e_massnahmen.html+%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.bundesprogramm-oekolandbau.de%2Fausschreibungen_f_und_e_massnahmen.html%3E%3E.&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Forgprints.org%2F5959%2F