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Table 1 The six steps of institutional development and indicators with which they can be assessed
| Characteristics of the completed step | Indicators used to assess the characteristic |
|---|---|
| Step 1: Establishment of an organic community | |
| a) The organic community has a strong identity | 1: Introduction of first standard (date) |
| 2: Number of national producers’ associations | |
| 4: Private standard can still be used | |
| b) Producers’ associations have the power to influence other parts of society | 3: Power of producers’ association |
| 5: Proportion of organic farmers that are members of an association (%) | |
| Step 2: Establishment of political recognition | |
| a) Regulatory support exists | 6: Introduction of first national regulation (date) |
| 7: Introduction of current regulation (date) | |
| b) Financial support is high | 10: Introduction of area payment (date) |
| 11: Area payment (euro/ha) | |
| 12: % of agri-environmental scheme devoted to organic farming | |
| 13: Total amount devoted to OF (millions of euro) | |
| 15: Loans available for improvement of organic farms | |
| 16: Lower taxes for organic farmers | |
| 17: Certification/inspection costs reimbursement | |
| 18: Research support (million euros/year) | |
| c) Strategic support is high | 20: Action plan for organic farming |
| 21: OF incorporation in strategic plan of government | |
| 22: Quantitative target for proportion cultivated organically (%) | |
| Step 3: Establishment of financial support | |
| a) Financial support has been introduced | 10: Introduction of area payment (date) |
| b) Area payments are high enough to off-set the cost incurred by conversion and lower productivity | 11: Area payment (euro/ha) |
| 13: Total amount devoted to organic farming (millions of euro/year) | |
| 14: % uptake of area support | |
| c) Research program is well-funded and complete | 18: Research support (million euro/year) |
| 19: Estimate % of agricultural research funding to organic farming | |
| 25: Range of research program | |
| d) There are financial schemes to help organic farmers | 15: Loans available for improvement of organic farms |
| 16: Lower taxes for organic farmers | |
| 17: Certification/inspection costs reimbursement | |
| 18: Research support (million euro/year) | |
| Step 4: Development of non-competitive relationships | |
| a) Partnership | 8: Partnerships strength |
| b) Integration of organic farming in state institutions | 23: Specific office in agricultural ministry |
| 24: Degree of integration of OF in training establishments | |
| 26: Degree of integration of OF in advisory services | |
| c) Discussion arena existence | 9: Discussion arena existence |
| d) Strength of the organic community identity | 1: Introduction of first standard (date) |
| 2: Number of national producers’ associations | |
| 4: Private standard can still be used | |
| e) The power a producers’ associations has | 3: Power of producers’ association |
| 5: Proportion of organic farmers that are members of an association (%) | |
| Step 5: Establishment of organic food market | |
| a) A complete supply chain exist | 27: Number of certified processing facilities (2004) |
| 28: Promotion by large retailers | |
| 29: Distribution of sales channels | |
| b) Other structural conditions are favourable | 34: Perception of the quality of certification and control system |
| c) The behaviour of the general consumers is favourable | 31: Proportion of consumer that can correctly define organic farming (%) |
| 32: Acceptable price premium by 50% of the population | |
| 33: % of the population that buy OP > once a week/>once a month/< once a month | |
| d) The market share of organic farming is large | 30: Market share of organic products (%) |
| Step 6: Development of a committed institutional setting | |
| a) An inclusive discussion arena exists | 9: Discussion arena existence |
| b) An inclusive coordination arena exist | 20: Action plan for organic farming |
