Organic Farming | 2017 | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | Pages 1–2

DOI: 10.12924/of2017.03010001

ISSN: 2297–6485

Editorial

How Scientific Is Organic Farming Research?

Thomas F. D

¨

oring

Published: 13 February 2017

Opening the third volume of this journal provides a re-

newed opportunity to reflect on the current developments

within the world of organic farming. As the most recent

international data show, the organic sector continues to

grow on a global scale, in terms of organic area, mar-

ket share and number of producers [

1

farming—as for any movement—expansion always en-

tails the difficulty of maintaining identity. Achieving both,

i.e. becoming ‘bigger’ and ‘better’, is the explicit goal

sustainable farming systems” [

pathways to achieve the goals of Organic 3.0 is improved

and extended research and development.

velopment goals of organic farming? A recently published

comprehensive review of this question concludes that a mul-

titude of research approaches will be needed for advancing

the lead role (e.g. [

4

]), also component research, following

pursued, and, in fact, which questions should be asked,

is not a boundless process. In particular, these choices

are often influenced by interactions with colleagues who

work in non-organic fields. Such interactions are often

determined by competition for research resources, e.g.

chairs, setting up strategic plans for the future direction of

research programmes.

This struggle is particularly difficult when it is poisoned

by the underlying view still pertinent outside the organic

peer-reviewed articles [

5

]. Organic research, at least partly,

has also followed the trend towards increased disciplinary

specialization. So over the past decades, organic scientists

have engaged in the mainstream of scientific publication,

and this has partly resulted in increased reputation and

credibility from outside.

At the same time, agricultural science from outside the

organic sector is—at least in part—becoming aware of the

importance of applied participatory and farmer-led research,

calling for research to become more practice-oriented, and

More recently the earlier critique against the organic

heterodoxy has been turned on its head: Now the argument

c

 2017 by the authors; licensee Librello, Switzerland. This open access article was published

under a Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

has become that because organic methodologies are more

or less fully transferable to other systems, organic research

by specialists of mainstream science. The parts of organic

research deemed as scientific enough can be swallowed

all intents and purposes, soon becomes occupied with other

things, and is pulled away from concentrating its attention

hidden and diluted. The gain in credibility and reputation

through mainstreaming organic research is followed by an

embrace that is not always a friendly one.

so that research output per unit time is lower than for

simpler systems. Further, the interdisciplinary nature of

There are now opportunities to bring these various

movements together (open access, critique on inappropri-

ate science evaluation) and it is likely that organic farming

in particular will benefit from these new developments. It is

now necessary to take action, and seize the opportunity to

expanding organic research while maintaining its organic

strategies will be the provision of free breathing space

[2]

[3]

[5]

Okologischen Landbau. In:

¨

Okologischer Landbau—Grundlagen, Wissenstand

[6]

¨

aring AM, Heß J. Strategies towards Evaluation beyond