Organic action plans: Mainstreaming organic farming in public policy

Organic farming is supported in Europe3 in different ways. Most countries have implemented specific area payments for organic farming through agri-environmental schemes to finance their contribution to environmental protection and the provision of other public goods. In the European Union these measures are typically financed through national or regional rural development programmes (RDPs) that are co-funded by the EU and Member State administrations. These payments are an important foundation for the financial performance of organic farms, since they compensate them for additional costs or income foregone due to their organic commitments. Besides payments, a wide range of other public policy instruments exist, such as financial support for processing and marketing organic products, investment aids, a range of training, advice and information policies, as well as research support for projects related to organic farming (Sanders et al., 2011)