Reversion from organic to conventional agriculture in Germany

Summary

Organic farming has become increasingly important in Germany in recent years. This is reflected in the positive trend shown by the total number of organic farms. Analyses which are based on official agricultural statistics show, however, that there is an underlying counter-trend of farms that leave the organic sector by reverting back to conventional methods. Between 2007 and 2010 1,258 German organic farms returned to conventional agriculture. This paper aims to offer an overview, how many and what types of farms actually abandon organic farming in Germany. Probit-estimations are used to identify first indications for determinants of reversion from organic to conventional agriculture.