Institutions and Policy Development for Organic Agriculture in Western Balkan Countries: a Cross-Country Analysis

Summary

This paper uses a comparative qualitative approach to study the dynamic of institutional changes occurring in the organic movement, State agricultural institutions and policies, and in the organic supply chain, in six Western Balkan countries. It shows that the ‘Michelsen path’ (Michelsen et al., 2001) is identifiable in these countries, but in a different sequence. Additionally, a number of common trends are identified in the organic sector of the countries studied, leading to a converging trajectory in institutions and policy development for organic agriculture.