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Organic farming is a fast growing niche within the entire agricultural production. However, it is not aimed to replace conventional, i.e. industrial system of production, but is developing within the limited frame of holistic approach, and is based on specific values and principles, such as the principle of health, the principle of ecology, and the principle of overall sustainability, care and fairness. As a consequence of these principles, organic farming poses requirements on plant breeding programmes different from conventional breeding regarding their strategies, goals, techniques, resources, and legislative procedures. In such an environment, plant breeding for organic agriculture has several strengths and weaknesses as an internal driving forces or constraints, but is also exposed to external threats and opportunities. Here we present overview of the most important SWOT factors and forces that determine strategies of plant breeding activities and programmes for organic agriculture, and their comparison with the mainstream breeding procedures in conventional breeding programmes. The stress in this analysis is put on the differences that seems to put the organic breeding putatively ‘’a step back’’ in regards to mainstream breeding, such as differences in genetic resources used, techniques applied, traits favoured, and goals to be achieved in cultivar design for organic agriculture as the factors that should be considered in order to achieve ecological, technological, and social sustainability of this specific agricultural niche. |
