Background

The core idea of organic farming, which emphasizes environmentally friendly practices in harmony with the ecosystem, assumes that consumers demand high internal quality but are willing to accept minor aesthetic imperfections, such as russeting and minor skin blemishes, as well as variety in fruit types. Additionally, the environmental benefits provided by the industry are often underappreciated and insufficiently compensated.

Project Goal

This project aims to identify and describe the ecosystem services provided by organic fruit farming and translate them into a communication strategy for market participants. The goal is to increase appreciation for the diversity of organic apples among traders, consumers, and other stakeholders.

Project Description

Building on research and practical surveys, the project consolidates experiences and analyzes the impact of ecosystem services on product quality, marketability, and consumer acceptance of apples. Together with stakeholders along the entire apple value chain, a communication concept will be developed to highlight and clarify the connections and ecosystem services of organic farming systems. Four work packages will focus on the following topics: quality/trade standards (including the acceptance of skin imperfections), biodiversity services on working farms, varietal diversity/strategy (developing a marketing concept focused on varietal diversity), and soil (documenting different farming strategies and developing action recommendations).

Innovative Potential of the Project

By the end of the project, the results will be made available to all market actors in the organic sector. The project results will be developed through a collaborative, cross-organizational approach, involving representatives from the entire value chain. It is expected that the joint utilization and promotion of the findings will have a broad impact on the market and all consumer groups, leading to strong market penetration. This will contribute to the proper valuation and compensation of the ecosystem services provided by organic fruit farming.

Project Partners / Members of the Operational Group "Monetization of Organic Fruit Farming

• Association for the Promotion of Organic Fruit Cultivation (Fördergemeinschaft Ökologischer Obstbau e.V.)
• Competence Center for Fruit Cultivation, Lake Constance (Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bodensee)
• University of Hohenheim, Center for Organic Farming
• ÖKOBO GmbH, Organic Lake Constance Fruit
• Mainau GmbH
• Organic fruit farms: Föll, Filsinger, Glocker, and Magens/Höfflin