Analysis of positive deviants among organic dairy farmers in The Netherlands

Summary

There are around 350 organic dairy farms in the Netherlands. Although all meet the requirements set by SKAL (the Dutch certification agency for organic farming), farms perform differently on criteria such as milk production, farm income and nutrient losses. This thesis focuses on positive deviants among organic dairy farmers: farmers who distinguish themselves in a positive way with respect to those and other criteria. They are often innovative and deviate from the average, which enables them to find better solutions than other farmers. Positive deviant farmers can inspire other farmers and in that way contribute to development of the sector. The objective of this study was to identify positive deviant farms and to evaluate these farms with respect to criteria for excellence from literature and expressed by farmers.