Organic Producer Initiatives and Rural Development: Four European Case Studies

Summary

Organic Producer Initiatives and Rural Development - four European Case Studies, the third volume of this series of reports, provides an in-depth examination of the internal and external structure of collaborative enterprises involving organic farmers. One initiative has been selected in the Vorarlberg in Austria, Bourgogne in France, and Lancashire in the UK; two were studied in the Marche region of Italy. The comparative studies show how the businesses contribute to employment and income generation, but also enhance the status of farming, prevent abandonment of the countryside and improve the image of their regions. They contribute important insights into the development of rural economic policies, especially since approaches increasingly require sustainability, integration, and complementarity within an overall framework of policy reform in Europe. Organic Marketing Initiatives have the potential to contribute considerably more sustainable rural development, but a present it is far from being realised.