Potentials of Organic Farming in the Region of Marchfeld (Austria)

Summary

Marchfeld is one of the most important crop production regions in Austria. High input agriculture causes environmental problems, especially groundwater pollution by nitrate and pesticides, decline of soil fertility and ecosystem diversity. While Austria has about 8.3 % certified organic farms, Marchfeld has only 1.5 %. The presented study was carried out in order to investigate the potentials of organic farming for solving environmental problems. The main interest of this work is the present economic and social situation of organic agriculture, its environmental effects and the identification of factors that support or hamper the further increase of organic farming in this region