Values and value conflicts in organic farming - Images and symbolic ideas as starting point for strategic planning in advisory and research work

Summary

Values and value conflicts play an important role in organic but also in non-organic farming. In discussions about the future way to go unconscious systems in human behaviour should be taken into account. Pictures, images and symbols are commonly used in marketing but are not really explored as a source for ethical orientation and strategic planning for farmers, advisors and researchers. Experiences with the use pictures and images in discussions with farmers and researchers and in advisory work (example of Bioland) about desirable sustainable futures will be reported. A further developed methodology and systematic, how to use pictures/images, is proposed.