Organic agriculture in the Western Balkans

Abstract

Abstract Organic agriculture is growing in the last few years in Western Balkans Countries, even though some of them have initiated their legal framework as early as 2004, the practical process of implementation has been slow. There are a number of reasons which are mentioned in different either country reports or international reports on Western Balkans organic production; however, the most evident one is the lack of know-how and the lack of well-established operation systems and value chains. This, however, has been improving over the years, which is also shown in the growth of organic producers in the Western Balkans countries. The data shows that most of the organic production in the Western Balkans countries is export-oriented, mainly in the EU countries and the USA. There is only a small percentage that is sold within their national territories, and this is mostly due to the low awareness of organic produce in terms of health, food safety, and environmental benefits. This, however, is expected to be change as more and more people are working toward healthier lifestyles, and at the same time are putting their attention to Climate Change, with a specific to environmental protection.