Wallonia; Belgium; Organic farming; Green payment; Ecological focus areas
Abstract :
[en] In Wallonia, organic farming continues to increase its share of
agricultural activities, the number of organic farmers exceeding for the first
time 10% of the total number of farmers in 2014, with 8.6% of the total
agricultural area. Meadows represent 83% of the organic areas, general
crops 15% and vegetables 1%. The number of cattle heads is still increasing,
while poultry and laying hen recorded a significant progress during the last
years. Organic products consumption is also increasing and the market share
of organic products in food products reached 2.3% in 2014. On the other
hand, the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy, and
particularly its green payment, obliges 50% of Walloon farmers to practice
crop diversification and 46% to have at least 5% of ecological focus area
within their arable land in 2015, which represents more than 24,000 ha. So,
organic farming and ecological focus areas do have today a significant share
of the Walloon agricultural area, leading to a more sustainable agriculture.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Burny, Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Modélisation et développement
