Economic and Financial Comparison of Organic and Conventional Citrus-growing Systems

Abstract

This study was conducted for two citrus crops (oranges and mandarins) in the Valencia region, Spain, in the year 2000. The results obtained were of course determined by the agro-ecological and socio-economic context of this country during that period. Consequently, they cannot be used to draw general conclusions on the comparative profitability of organic and conventional farming. Also, one should be cautious when trying to replicate the results in other geographical areas or in other commoditie s without taking into account the inevitable differences in contexts. However, the methodology presented in this paper is one that can be useful to carry out comparative analyses for citrus as well as other crops in other countries.