THE DILEMMAS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE – EXTENSIFICATION OF PRODUCTION OR SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION

Abstract

The main objective of the research was to determine the potential increase in demand for agricultural land in the European Union countries due to increasing the share of organic production to an average of 25% (assuming that the volume of agricultural production is maintained at the current level). This analysis was carried out against the assumptions of sustainable intensification as an alternative option for building a more sustainable agricultural production system. Based on the literature, established views on the advantages of organic farming were verified, confronting them with the lesser-known concept of sustainable intensification. The simulations’ results indicate that, on average, across the EU, the introduction of the required proportion of organic crops would require an increase of 8.2% in agricultural areas and 7.4% in livestock numbers. This leads to the conclusion that sustainable intensification is a more reasonable path towards a more sustainable food production system, which seeks to maximise production efficiency while respecting existing environmental constraints.

Keywords

• sustainable intensification
• organic farming
• sustainable agriculture
• sustainability
• European Union