The final section of the Discussion Guide covered the future importance of values in organic farming. The key question to be asked by moderators was:
What values will be important in relation to organic farming in 10 years time?
The main objective of this section was to explore which of the values discussed were seen to be of a more long-term nature and therefore more important for guiding organic agriculture into the future.
In Austria the values mentioned in this section were similar to those discussed before. However, more of the ideas here related to the organic standards and their administration, especially including values relating to nature or sustainability. The topics of energy and energy crops were mentioned for the first time. Under food quality and health, the freedom from GMOs was particularly discussed. In relation to economics and finances, cost-covering prices were mentioned as important in the future as well as the independence of farms, and there was a wish for openness in relation to social aspects.
In Italy the topics discussed in relation to the future were quite diverse. A common point raised by non-producers and producers alike was the need for a more direct and deeper connection between organic producers and consumers in the future, which allows the development of trust and reliability, and the communication of broader organic values. All of the participants hoped that the organic sector could carry ethical and social values into the future, and in the group of researchers, food quality was considered likely to become more important in the future. There was some discussion as to whether greater environmental awareness might cause conventional agriculture to become more organic in the future and what this would mean for organic agriculture. This suggests a conflict between the maintenance of organic market differentiation and the need to spread sustainable methods to all sectors of agriculture.
In the Netherlands the researchers saw consistency in the organic approach as being particularly important in the future, as well as the need for better
communication with consumers and among all stakeholders in the organic chain, including the multiple retailers. The need to consider the question of energy in relation to the transport of organic food was directly mentioned. The bio-dynamic farmers were worried that a “simple” organic approach might emerge that does not include the principal organic values, reflecting their concern that new converters do not share all their values. In contrast to some participants in Italy, who expected conventional farming to move towards organic agriculture, the Dutch dairy farmers were not worried about this, but saw other threats coming from outside the sector, such as widespread use of GMOs. The arable producers considered soil conservation as becoming particularly important in the future.
In Switzerland four main thematic areas were discussed by most of the participants under this topic of future values: fair prices, truthful communication/information for the public, solidarity, and regionality. All groups agreed that social justice and
fairness would be very important in the future; most groups saw a major future challenge in developing more effective communication strategies and appropriate behaviour in the market place. Producers saw a need for solidarity among farmers as well as a need for organic social values to extend to other stakeholders in the food chain. Participants in all groups found that regionality and local marketing of products would become more important. Other issues that had already been discussed were considered likely to remain important, such as product quality and health, careful management of the ecosystem, protection of resources, a holistic approach, the diversity of farms and farmed species, and animal welfare.
In the UK the experienced producers saw the question of energy and the reduction of greenhouse gases as becoming more important in the future and felt that organic farmers should seek alternative solutions to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Other values considered likely to become or remain important were food security, food safety, product quality in relation to health, fair prices to maintain producers’ incomes, and environmental conservation (“custodians of the countryside”). The participants also emphasised that future development of organic values will be influenced by the development of the conventional sector, such as raised standards in relation to animal welfare and the environment.
To summarise the discussion, in all countries nearly all values considered likely to be important in the future had already been discussed in previous sections, but in some cases the emphasis changed. Values expected to be important in the future of organic farming were as follows:
• Limiting the use of non-renewable resources, in particular energy • Avoiding contamination with GMOs
• Fair or cost-covering prices • Solidarity among farmers • Local and regional production
• Closer links between producers and consumers
• Openness, communication and trust throughout the whole organic food chain In addition to these values, the participants in a number of countries also used this section to express what they would prefer to see in the future. In Austria participants mentioned the need for practical research, education, respect for the diversity of farms, and inclusion of the basic values of organic farming in the EU Regulation. Participants in the Netherlands wanted to see improvement of the standards in relation to environmental protection and to animal health, especially dealing with infectious diseases. Swiss focus groups (mainly the farmers) felt that the
standards/regulations for organic agriculture should be made easier to understand, be more focused, change less frequently, and in some ways be made more
practicable. They also saw a need for the self-confidence of the farmers to be strengthened. UK participants wanted to see a more level playing field in terms of the regulations both in general and for organic farming, for example in relation to the external costs of agriculture, and they hoped for a greater harmonisation of organic standards worldwide.