Virtuous and Vicious Circles in Organic Agriculture: A Comparative Typology Between Denmark and Brazil

Summary

The recent IPCC reports have shown that climate crises are intensifying in the third decade of the 21st century; therefore, policies based on socioeconomic and ecological sustainability must be urgently executed. However, the production organization models and results differ significantly between countries. This paper aims to compare the organic production systems of Denmark, a successful organic player, and Brazil, which has great potential but is poorly structured. Methodologically, due to the lack of quantitative data on the Brazilian organic sector, a qualitative method (SWOT Analysis) was employed to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of Danish and Brazilian organic agriculture. Subsequently, eleven criteria were proposed to construct a factorial space in a quadrant system for evaluating scenarios of virtuous and vicious circles. The results have shown that in Denmark, a virtuous circle of interaction between public and private agents has led the country into the global spotlight. In contrast, a vicious circle in Brazil generates obstacles that hinder the growth of organic production. Therefore, identifying these limiting circles also creates opportunities for change, such as recommending actions and public policies to overcome the limitations of Brazil's organic sector. These findings have implications for Denmark and Brazil and can be replicated in Latin American and African countries, contributing to the global effort to enlarge sustainable food production.