A new academic paper was published in journal Organic Farming and is available as Open Access online: Trends in use of crop cultivars from organic and conventional seed multiplication: Moving toward 100% organic seed use in German organic agriculture.
ABSTRACT
In compliance with European Regulation (EC) 2018/848, organic farming practices necessitate the use of organically produced seeds when available. When suitable organic seeds cannot be sourced, farmers may seek an exemption permitting the use of non-organic seeds. This study examines data from the German national organic seed database to assess trends in the use of crop varieties originating from both organic and conventional seed production. Findings reveal that the diversity of cultivars produced organically is expanding across 15 of the 17 analyzed crops. Correlation analysis suggests that as the availability of organic cereal seed cultivars rises, recorded in the national database, the demand for derogations to use conventional cereal seed cultivars decreases, and vice versa. This positive development in the organic seed sector implies that farmers are adapting their practices in response to the expanding supply of organically multiplied cultivars available through the national database. Nevertheless, challenges such as crop diseases and production limitations in organic cereal seed multiplication can lead to supply deficits, which subsequently result in increased derogation requests for non-organic seeds in the following year. The findings underscore the importance of ensuring robust multiplication of organic cereal seeds to increase the supply, leading to higher adoption of organic seeds and a reduction in derogation requests for non-organic seeds. This study contributes to understanding the impact of supply trends on farmer behavior and highlights the need for further strengthening organic seed multiplication to facilitate full compliance with European organic farming regulations.
REFERENCE
Schäfer, F., Reusch, B., & Gattinger, A. (2024). Trends in Use of Crop Cultivars from Organic and Conventional Seed Multiplication: Moving Toward 100% Organic Seed Use in German Organic Agriculture. Org. Farming, 10(1), 43-68. https://doi.org/10.56578/of100103
