Development and regional differentiation of organic agriculture in Czechia

Abstract

Available studies show that organic agriculture is mainly concentrated in mountain and upland areas of Czechia. However, more detailed information about the gist of the differentiation process is missing. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the development and regional differentiation of organic agriculture in Czechia. On this basis we will describe the diffusion process in the organic sector and discuss the relation between natural conditions and the localization of organic farming. The differentiation processes are quantitatively analyzed with the use of the secondary data on several spatial levels (regions – districts – land blocks) and visualized by cartograms. The findings of the study suggest that organic agriculture has been concentrated mainly in peripheral areas with less favorable conditions for agriculture that are typical of relatively high altitude and field slopes. The study confirms that most farms in these regions have already been converted to organic agriculture and further potential to grow remains in areas with fertile land through the conversion of arable land that is farmed conventionally.