A Participatory Vision Regarding the Organic And Conventional Farming - Case Study, North-East Development Region

Abstract

The paper follows the increasing debates regarding the future of agriculture, a sector that is under a rising pressure determined by the demographic development, climate and economic changes, by turning to local experts’ opinions regarding the main characteristics of organic and conventional farming in an area facing natural constraints, namely Dornelor basin, Suceava County. The analysis is based on a participatory instrument, Delphi exercise, a structured communication technique, designed for collectively addressing an important theme or specific problem. The data was collected through three rounds of Delphi exercise and processed using both quantitative and qualitative method. The results highlight the fact that an organic farm would be larger in size, compared to a conventional farm, would mostly use local inputs and resources without chemical substances, would require larger labour inputs and would, likely, be part of an agricultural system that integrates livestock, cover and catch crops and direct drill practices.