Comparative analysis of organic farmers’ experiences and conventional farmers’ assumed concerns regarding conversion to organic farming in 4 European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia)

Comparative analysis of organic farmers’ experiences and conventional farmers’ assumed concerns regarding conversion to organic farming in 4 European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative analysis of organic farmers’ experiences and conventional farmers’ assumed concerns regarding conversion to organic farming in 4 European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia) Ujj Apolka, Annamária Harkányi, Chisenga Emmanuel Mukosha, Jan Moudrý, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents a comparative analysis of the barriers, motivations, and social implications of conversion to organic farming in four European countries: Germany (Thuringia), the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. Conducted within the ETICOF project (Education, Training and Innovations in Conversion to Organic Farming), the research draws on 80 in-depth interviews with 40 organic and 40 conventional farmers (10 from each country). It explores perceived and experienced obstacles to organic conversion, identifies transnational patterns, and examines the role of social engagement in this process. Both conventional and organic farmers identified bureaucratic complexity, insecure markets, limited processing capacity, and knowledge gaps as key barriers. Conventional farmers often emphasized yield decline, profitability risks, and saturated markets, frequently overestimating challenges compared to the actual experiences of organic farmers. Organic farmers reported administrative burdens and initial capacity constraints but highlighted adaptive strategies such as cooperation, diversification, and direct marketing to overcome obstacles. Climate change emerged as a growing concern in Hungary and Slovakia, where droughts and extreme weather exacerbate production risks. Cross-country comparison revealed that Germany’s mature institutional framework and advisory services reduced perceived risks, while in Hungary, volatile markets and climate conditions were major deterrents. Czech farmers stressed administrative burdens and yield decline, whereas Slovak farmers found that long-term marketing strategies and consumer demand mitigate challenges. Here we show, for the first time, how the concerns and motivations of conventional farmers diverge from the lived experiences of organic farmers, revealing new insights into how farmers perceive and navigate the transition process across diverse institutional and climatic contexts. The findings demonstrate that supporting knowledge exchange, simplifying administrative procedures, and investing in infrastructure and climate resilience are essential to facilitate conversion. Overall, this study confirms that organic conversion is not only an economic and technical process but also a socially embedded transformation towards sustainability. Organic farming conversion Barriers and motivations Comparative analysis Social engagement Central and Eastern Europe Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 15 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 07 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 12 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 12 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8344440","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":575218984,"identity":"eff6b2e6-1ddc-4360-b00a-cc964e8e6037","order_by":0,"name":"Ujj Apolka","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8klEQVRIie3PMUsDMRjG8acEbnrrrTlO+xkCjvabuKQInQzUxbkgtFP3c7FfQRfp+JZApkNXwcVD6KTgVCgomvMcROnF0SH/IcMLPx4CxGL/Mtb1uyshGFDNTfyFkESiG5IESZMn9DURImrJD9gs+pRNy3U+GuEwnZ+xOJm0EGbdmZVDyslc54WCKVyixXmAoDux1IMnpN7N2JES3dDKW03Sp5UnMHOXvgSJqFdyeZx8kktHaCWZJ3bP/yUrVvsHNblyQ2XpZjvZuSsH1fOi35O3R9U9vcJcWFs90ul2Allq7ox/HLkFAOmU8YvEYrFY7Hsf5R9QJw7R60sAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8986-1215","institution":"Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Szent István Campus: Szent Istvan Egyetem","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ujj","middleName":"","lastName":"Apolka","suffix":""},{"id":575218985,"identity":"7dd45b6b-dbd3-403a-86c4-54a781ef874f","order_by":1,"name":"Annamária Harkányi","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8507-0655","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Annamária","middleName":"","lastName":"Harkányi","suffix":""},{"id":575218986,"identity":"d058af39-03be-4d57-a2aa-7b6081462171","order_by":2,"name":"Chisenga Emmanuel Mukosha","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2599-8028","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chisenga","middleName":"Emmanuel","lastName":"Mukosha","suffix":""},{"id":575218987,"identity":"f6bbacc1-dd69-4d44-9136-4081ad5b265d","order_by":3,"name":"Jan Moudrý","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6323-2464","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jan","middleName":"","lastName":"Moudrý","suffix":""},{"id":575218988,"identity":"cfa2ace6-e332-42f4-9cc6-eebe504b3694","order_by":4,"name":"Birgit Wilhelm","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3308-4107","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Birgit","middleName":"","lastName":"Wilhelm","suffix":""},{"id":575218989,"identity":"467e35e5-9772-47e5-abfb-afa87020ea18","order_by":5,"name":"Lea Doobe","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1963-2963","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lea","middleName":"","lastName":"Doobe","suffix":""},{"id":575218990,"identity":"3334a8c0-f087-4f8f-baf2-a0ac1153d9fa","order_by":6,"name":"Achim Franko","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5592-397X","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Achim","middleName":"","lastName":"Franko","suffix":""},{"id":575218991,"identity":"e432b523-ef89-4efc-81ea-d870edd23f38","order_by":7,"name":"Norbert Floriš","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8189-3094","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Norbert","middleName":"","lastName":"Floriš","suffix":""},{"id":575218992,"identity":"73493df9-7eea-449f-b620-acc54fa5020d","order_by":8,"name":"Magdaléna Lacko-Bartošová","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7258-0732","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Magdaléna","middleName":"","lastName":"Lacko-Bartošová","suffix":""},{"id":575218993,"identity":"18ed6c6b-9c1b-49dc-96ba-b37b924f1c79","order_by":9,"name":"Paulina Jancsovszka","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1729-678X","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Paulina","middleName":"","lastName":"Jancsovszka","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-12 10:03:55","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100727341,"identity":"c40961da-40f0-4f84-a50f-5f6e9744ea2b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:05","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":6495073,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AgronomyforSustainableDevelopmentfigures12.09.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/6cf8609611dc5484d6c36f29.docx"},{"id":100726444,"identity":"5a9e21ed-aede-4a83-9b8b-b2bba0a7ddb2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:25:05","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":12521,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"asdeASDED2502047.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/1ee65ed9c36fe55d2fb3ab8b.xml"},{"id":100727361,"identity":"1bd369a9-5b0b-4a2f-af30-c7dad969ee65","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:35","extension":"xml","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1088,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ASDED250204727060.go.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/de29a2d8eb73bd730c4e5cff.xml"},{"id":100727370,"identity":"685b15b3-9be5-4003-9779-b214b5e79636","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:51","extension":"xml","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":918,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ASDED2502047Import.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/558ab7e9b53d7ded9376c173.xml"},{"id":100727331,"identity":"d2e5bd00-1064-4644-9278-1aff33b8541e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:49","extension":"xml","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":203782,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ASDED25020470enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/7571c3d21d6b05dd3214b527.xml"},{"id":100727404,"identity":"ddcbfb64-07e4-45c9-992f-35ffb228aa64","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:38:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4763236,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/d067e75f791252f84a4d1e08.jpeg"},{"id":100726847,"identity":"b2b993d6-48a1-4e3f-9b4b-dd1d1fae20ef","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:31:37","extension":"jpeg","order_by":8,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":88100,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage10.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/1f736193e3bd35fb5294199f.jpeg"},{"id":100727389,"identity":"b24c02e6-e5ae-4d02-ba27-b16664565a29","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:37:38","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1413102,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/1667eadbb5755e2b3808f376.png"},{"id":100727407,"identity":"1e1b919a-011d-4286-a8ac-c74246269c56","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:38:06","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":105935,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/928dc945a1b702448aecab58.png"},{"id":100727372,"identity":"7af63716-d22e-41ea-b747-540166cc0e90","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:37:06","extension":"jpeg","order_by":11,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":395997,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/4fae5f3d77fa06166faed0e5.jpeg"},{"id":100727152,"identity":"245b0f21-e89c-4315-b7f5-5146afae9d9c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:09","extension":"jpeg","order_by":12,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":88100,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage10.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/b2f8ed3532c5cf0a7977c335.jpeg"},{"id":100727148,"identity":"6fb5d559-1756-4533-bbe5-376ebb768977","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":13,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4763236,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/71097c97a04b51ceac034a8c.jpeg"},{"id":100727144,"identity":"62730536-758d-429e-b3a0-06e584327c7f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:34:54","extension":"png","order_by":14,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":1413102,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/eea02ae1e877ce8812d77e62.png"},{"id":100727147,"identity":"0551c88d-c777-4e90-87d5-448d4ff61f5e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:00","extension":"png","order_by":15,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":105935,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/e9626f74dad25756aeaacf85.png"},{"id":100727381,"identity":"10792da7-243d-438c-b803-cbfb3dd03169","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:37:22","extension":"jpeg","order_by":16,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":398486,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage9.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/0fe0935e22c011702260808d.jpeg"},{"id":100727333,"identity":"d02ab7de-f9b1-4cf2-925f-391749e1eca7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:53","extension":"png","order_by":17,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3435792,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/b667cf8a60affccafe2d09a2.png"},{"id":100727154,"identity":"1eb3b88d-54c4-4f00-b979-6c7f14af0e24","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:11","extension":"png","order_by":18,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":34574,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/e9b57e831bebab45a09dd264.png"},{"id":100727250,"identity":"5e19d7be-c3a2-4451-8b32-f2b764ebdbdd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:37","extension":"png","order_by":19,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":269147,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/9dbd14d0b26595de20005e97.png"},{"id":100726736,"identity":"708ce628-b319-40bf-af00-f5f9519b074c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:29:50","extension":"png","order_by":20,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":32299,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/027c09f577aa57029f27eef0.png"},{"id":100727362,"identity":"4cfc4b9d-1f82-4506-91bb-50ab91fb50de","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:36","extension":"png","order_by":21,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":86780,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/8c6c16b4202cc0fbd1858165.png"},{"id":100726727,"identity":"4f77ba8c-7a40-4e88-a126-65d603f6d21e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:29:36","extension":"png","order_by":22,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":34574,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/4034776b5714b3ed06f083e0.png"},{"id":100727340,"identity":"307e22b6-e710-4e25-986b-8139eee8b0b1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:05","extension":"png","order_by":23,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3435792,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/7067d8455ef131aa68e6fdc9.png"},{"id":100727330,"identity":"95c14f57-b648-48dd-bdf7-41715594af29","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:35:48","extension":"png","order_by":24,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":269147,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/8588683bb52ad3be59cdc385.png"},{"id":100726752,"identity":"75ee3a59-0bca-432c-811f-7ea2ae79c21a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:30:34","extension":"png","order_by":25,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":32299,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/f42595c0f2916b640519cc19.png"},{"id":100726739,"identity":"7de31225-6f4a-4162-8091-8acdef0a78d9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:29:53","extension":"png","order_by":26,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":87000,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/efd792bdac7b08360b4fd774.png"},{"id":100727357,"identity":"4a9930ce-7dd1-48c0-9e41-7121b0cc3783","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:36:26","extension":"xml","order_by":27,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":201394,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ASDED25020470structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/5f62c1d26147df0e6be88b74.xml"},{"id":100726846,"identity":"a24bcd32-4dbe-47a4-8af4-bfdc829a8db8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:31:37","extension":"html","order_by":28,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":216767,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1/feedb7469754198a04d013dd.html"},{"id":100731360,"identity":"39a0d632-d7c0-4112-aaa1-e920629e48dd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 21:33:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2283830,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Ujjetal.12.12.2025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8344440/v1_covered_08978aa1-58cd-42dc-b1be-eaf9eeef320f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Comparative analysis of organic farmers’ experiences and conventional farmers’ assumed concerns regarding conversion to organic farming in 4 European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia)","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"agronomy-for-sustainable-development","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ASDE","sideBox":"Learn more about [Agronomy for Sustainable Development](https://www.springer.com/journal/13593)","snPcode":"13593","submissionUrl":"https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/asde/default2.aspx","title":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Organic farming conversion, Barriers and motivations, Comparative analysis, Social engagement, Central and Eastern Europe","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study presents a comparative analysis of the barriers, motivations, and social implications of conversion to organic farming in four European countries: Germany (Thuringia), the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. Conducted within the ETICOF project (Education, Training and Innovations in Conversion to Organic Farming), the research draws on 80 in-depth interviews with 40 organic and 40 conventional farmers (10 from each country). It explores perceived and experienced obstacles to organic conversion, identifies transnational patterns, and examines the role of social engagement in this process. Both conventional and organic farmers identified bureaucratic complexity, insecure markets, limited processing capacity, and knowledge gaps as key barriers. Conventional farmers often emphasized yield decline, profitability risks, and saturated markets, frequently overestimating challenges compared to the actual experiences of organic farmers. Organic farmers reported administrative burdens and initial capacity constraints but highlighted adaptive strategies such as cooperation, diversification, and direct marketing to overcome obstacles. Climate change emerged as a growing concern in Hungary and Slovakia, where droughts and extreme weather exacerbate production risks. Cross-country comparison revealed that Germany\u0026rsquo;s mature institutional framework and advisory services reduced perceived risks, while in Hungary, volatile markets and climate conditions were major deterrents. Czech farmers stressed administrative burdens and yield decline, whereas Slovak farmers found that long-term marketing strategies and consumer demand mitigate challenges. Here we show, for the first time, how the concerns and motivations of conventional farmers diverge from the lived experiences of organic farmers, revealing new insights into how farmers perceive and navigate the transition process across diverse institutional and climatic contexts. The findings demonstrate that supporting knowledge exchange, simplifying administrative procedures, and investing in infrastructure and climate resilience are essential to facilitate conversion. Overall, this study confirms that organic conversion is not only an economic and technical process but also a socially embedded transformation towards sustainability.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative analysis of organic farmers’ experiences and conventional farmers’ assumed concerns regarding conversion to organic farming in 4 European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia)","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-20 17:51:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8344440/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2026-02-04T20:02:44+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-15T18:16:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","date":"2026-01-07T09:03:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-12-12T13:26:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","date":"2025-12-12T05:03:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"agronomy-for-sustainable-development","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"ASDE","sideBox":"Learn more about [Agronomy for Sustainable Development](https://www.springer.com/journal/13593)","snPcode":"13593","submissionUrl":"https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/asde/default2.aspx","title":"Agronomy for Sustainable Development","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d455f803-88eb-4813-b875-293f42b4e92c","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 20th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T08:52:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-20 17:51:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8344440","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8344440","identity":"rs-8344440","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}