Ecological economics and organic farming

• Ecological economics (EE) is proposed as an approach to decision-making and planning in organic farming. It is argued that EE is better suited for this task than the conventional neoclassical economics approach. The contribution that EE can make to the organic farming movement is apparent on the ontological level, through its focus on socio-economic systems as nested subsystems of the ecosystem. In addition EE´s stance on the issue of allocation, distribution and scale seems to constitute a more appropriate conceptualization about the interaction between socio-economic systems and the environment, which is more closely aligned to the principle aims of the organic farming movement. The concepts of time and scale are used as examples of how EE, with input from political economics, can help highlight problematic issues regarding the interaction between farming systems and their biophysical environment, which are not addressed in the neoclassical approach. Material flow Accounting and Analysis (MFA) and Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) are discussed as practical examples of the framework that EE can provide for decision-making.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

ecological economics

organic farming

neoclassical economics

systems theory

Agricultural economics

Jordbruksekonomi

industriell ekonomi och organisation

Industrial Economics and Organisations

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