ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GREEN ECONOMY

Abstract

: Sustainable development is a modern concept of economic development, which enables long-term economic growth rates to be achieved with better utilization of scarce natural resources and a better quality of life for the population to preserve the environment and reduce social inequalities. Care for the quality and way of life of the population integrated into this concept takes into account the needs in the context of intense globalization and fast-growing markets of present and future generations. Among the economic activities, it is necessary to identify those that contribute most to the economic growth and sustainable development in terms of development opportunities. Considering that the Republic of Serbia occupies a favorable geographical position, has significant natural resources and a good workforce, agriculture stands out as one of the economic activities that significantly contribute to economic growth, with recognizable development potentials. Organic production makes a significant contribution to achieving the goals of a green economy and green growth. Thanks to well-defined principles and standards, as well as a certification system, its positive impact on the health and life of all living things, the environment and natural resources is enabled. Both of these concepts are based on the same principles and offer numerous opportunities for improving the standard of living, developing underdeveloped countries and achieving sustainable development. In European countries, organic production is a model for sustainable rural development. The intention of this paper is to investigate the possibilities and necessary incentive measures for the sustainable development of organic agriculture in the Republic of Serbia and compare the organic food production growth in European countries and in Serbia.