Public policies and the organic agrifood systems development: the case of Denmark

Abstract

The development of organic agri-food systems in Denmark stands out globally and it is the result of policies to encourage sustainable agriculture. These policies have been contributing to the mitigation of environmental problems, improvement of food and health indicators and income generation for rural producers. The rural development process experienced by this Nordic European country has generated, on the one hand, the expansion of the organic products supply and, on the other hand, the increase in the organic products demand, making the Danes the world leaders in the consumption of organic products. Hence, the objective of this paper is to show that in this country there is a virtuous circle of interaction between public and private actors that places it in the world prominence in the organics production and consumption. For this purpose, after the introduction, this article presents a review of the specialized literature containing the Denmark’s organic production development institutional trajectory since the last quartile of the 19th century, passing through the actions and practices of the various local actors and social movements of organic agriculture. Finally, this paper highlights the lessons learned from this experience, where the success gained by the country was not the result of chance, but of well-formulated public policies and successful partnerships between actors in the public and private spheres.