This study examines the impact of conversions from conventional to organic farming on environmental and economic outcomes in the European Union across main crops and livestock farming systems. Using a propensity score matching-difference in differences approach, we analyze a large sample of farms from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) between 2014 and 2021. We also find that the impact of organic conversions varies across different farm types, with field-crop specialists and milk and other grazing livestock specialists exhibiting the most pronounced environmental benefits. Our results show that organic farming conversions lead to significant reductions in fertilizer and plant protection product usage, as well as land re-allocation and increased farm net value added per annual work unit. Our study provides new insights into the effectiveness of organic farming policies in the EU and highlights the importance of considering farm-level heterogeneity in evaluating the impacts of agricultural policy interventions.
BRUTTI Zelda;
FREO Marzia;
2026-03-26
European Commission
JRC145454
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC145454,
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