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Linking Research and Policy: Assessing a Framework for Organic Agricultural Support in Ireland

Duram, Leslie A.; Clavin, Daniel and Bloom, Shauna M. (2009) Linking Research and Policy: Assessing a Framework for Organic Agricultural Support in Ireland. In: Social Science Research and Policy Making: Bridging the Divide, Irish Social Science Platform, pp. 156-169.

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Summary

This paper links social science research and agricultural policy through an analysis of support for organic agriculture and food. Globally, sales of organic food have experienced 20% annual increases for the past two decades, and represent the fastest growing segment of the grocery market. Although consumer interest has increased, farmers are not keeping up with demand. This is partly due to a lack of political support provided to farmers in their transition from conventional to organic production. Support policies vary by country and in some nations, such as the US, vary by state/province. There have been few attempts to document the types of support currently in place. This research draws on an existing Framework tool to investigate regionally specific and relevant policy support available to organic farmers in Ireland. This exploratory study develops a case study of Ireland within the framework of ten key categories of organic agricultural support: leadership, policy, research, technical support, financial support, marketing and promotion, education and information, consumer issues, inter-agency activities, and future developments. Data from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc), and other governmental and semi-governmental agencies provide the basis for an assessment of support in each category. Assessments are based on the number of activities, availability of information to farmers, and attention from governmental personnel for each of the ten categories. This policy framework is a valuable tool for farmers, researchers, state agencies, and citizen groups seeking to document existing types of organic agricultural support and discover policy areas which deserve more attention.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Other
Subjects:"Organics" in general
Farming Systems > Social aspects
Research affiliation:Ireland > National University of Ireland, Galway
Ireland > Teagasc - Agriculture and Food Development Authority
ISBN:978-0-9553159-3-0
Deposited By: Clavin, Mr Dan
ID Code:19880
Deposited On:25 Nov 2011 14:51
Last Modified:20 Dec 2011 10:46
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

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