Sweden aims to use 30% of agricultural land for organic production. Today, only 15% of the land is used for organic production and the rate of increase has stagnated. One reason for the low uptake could be a shortage of manure. A main requirement for organic crop farming is to fertilise with manure or other organic fertilisers. If the farm cannot produce enough manure on its own and other organic fertilisers are lacking, manure has to be bought from nearby farms. Therefore, the nearby supply of manure may affect the probability of switching to organic farming.
The aim of the project is to analyse if the nearby supply of manure affects farms’ probability of switching to organic production. Using farm coordinates, we assess whether the total surplus/deficit of manure in the immediate area of the farm (up to 2-3 km) affects the likelihood that the farm produces organically.
The project is part of a FORMAS project analysing conversion to organic farming. The project will be completed in spring 2021.