Opening the „Black Box” of Organic Agriculture in Bulgaria: the Problem with Top-down Institutional Development

The aim of this article is to examine the institutional development of organic agriculture (OA) in Bulgaria. The primary focus is on explaining certain contradictory trends observed during an examination of the phenomenon. First, although the origins of OA in Bulgaria can be traced back to the last years of socialism, it was not until 2010 that a “boom” of organic operators and certified land occurred. Second, although a full range of policies and instruments to support OA have been implemented and the importance of OA has been politically recognised, only approximately 1.1% of the agricultural land in Bulgaria is currently managed organically. Additionally, despite the development of national policies, the introduction of financial instruments and the emergence of OA organisations, the domestic organic food market is backward, as the largest portion of OA production is intended for export. Finally, there is evidence that calls into question the potential of OA to encourage socially and economically productive activities when it is motivated by subsidies rather than market value.

Using the “black box” allegory to approach the above observations, this article aims to explain the institutional development of OA in Bulgaria during the period spanning 1990-2013. Using the institutional analysis perspective as an analytical tool, the article addresses two main research questions: 1) What were the driving forces behind the emergence of the OA concept and its political recognition? and 2) What factors have led to the questionable outcomes of OA development? The article also uses qualitative data to critically assess the “boom” of the OA sector, as indicated by official statistics.