Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21861/HGG.2012.74.01.08
Organic Agriculture in Croatia: Problems and Developmental Potential
Dane Pejnović
orcid.org/0000-0001-5819-3819
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Zagreb, Croatia
Anita Ciganović
orcid.org/0000-0002-7891-6225
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Geodesy, Zagreb, student
Valentina Valjak
orcid.org/0000-0002-7710-9886
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Zagreb, Croatia, student
Abstract
The problems and developmental potential of organic agriculture in Croatia are examined in this work from the standpoint of organic farmers/producers. Here the term organic agriculture is used to imply a specific system of sustainable agricultural management with the objective of producing healthy food and meeting corresponding social and economic needs, while protecting natural eco-systems and landscapes. The research work is grounded in two methods: surveys (by telephone) and interviews. The survey encompassed 75 or 15.8% of the total 474 sustainable farmers in Croatia in 2008, while the interviews were conducted using the territorial sampling of Požega-Slavonia County and encompassed 90% of the organic farmers in that county. The results show that, despite the recent growth in the number of farmers, this aspect of agricultural production in Croatia is confronted with numerous problems and remains at a low level of development. On the other hand, Croatia has immense potential for the development of organic agriculture which, as an eminent tourist destination and a future EU member state, it could put to much greater use.
Keywords
ecological agriculture; organic agriculture; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
86477
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2012.
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