Global Development of Organic Agriculture: Challenges and Prospects

Main Description
Agriculture and food systems, including organic agriculture, are undergoing a technological and structural modernisation strongly influenced by growing globalisation. Organic agricultural movements can be seen as a tangible effort towards more sustainable development. However, there are large differences between, on the one hand, industrialised farming and consumption based on global food chains and, on the other, smallholder farmers and resource poor people primarily linked in local food markets in low-income countries.
This book provides an overview of the potential role of organic agriculture in a global perspective. The book discusses in-depth political ecology, ecological justice, ecological economics and free trade with new insights on the challenges for organic agriculture. This is followed by the potential role of organic agriculture for improving soil fertility, nutrient cycling and food security and reducing veterinary medicine use, together with discussions of research needs and the importance of non-certified organic agriculture.

Main Contents
• Global trends in agriculture and food systems, M T Knudsen, N Halberg, J E Olesen, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Denmark, J Byrne, I Venkatesh and N Toly, University of Delaware, USA
• Globalisation and sustainable development: a potential ecology strategy to realize ecological justice, J Byrne, L Glover, University of Delaware, USA, and H F Alrψe
• Organic agriculture and ecological justice: Ethics and practice, H F Alrψe, J Byrne, and L Glover
• Ecological Economics and organic farming, P R Kledal, Danish Research Institute of Food Economics, C Kjeldsen, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, and K Refsgaard and P Sφderbaum, Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute, Norway
• Organic farming in a world of free trade, C F Bach, Vejgaard, Denmark
• Certified and non-certified organic farming in the developing world, N Parrott, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands, J E Olesen, and H Hψgh-Jensen, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark
• Possibilities for closing the urban rural nutrient cycles, K Refsgaard, P D Jenssen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway, and J Magid, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark
• Soil Fertility Depletion Sub-Saharan Africa: What is the Role of Organic Agriculture, J Pender, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), USA, and O Mertz, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Sustainable veterinary medical practices in organic farming: a global perspective, M Vaarst, Danish Institute of Agricutural Sciences, S Roderick, Duchy College, Cornwall, UK, D K Byarugaba, Makerere University, Uganda, S Kobayashi, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark, C Rubaire-Akiiki, Makerere University, Uganda, and H Karreman, Pen Dutch Cow Care, USA
• The impact of organic farming on food security in a regional and global perspective, N Halberg, T B Sulser, IFRPI, USA, H Hψgh-Jensen, M W Rosegrant, IFPRI,USA, and M T Knudsen
• Towards a global research programme for organic food and farming, H Egelyng, Danish Institute for International Studies, and H Hψgh-Jensen
• Synthesis: The potential of organic farming in a globalised world, N Halberg