EXTERNAL FACTORS OF ORGANIC FARMING

The investigation of farmers' attitudes towards organic farming allows us to conclude that those who have been in organic farming for a relatively short period of time (3 to 4 years) have not yet developed strong attitudes towards the practice of organic farming. Their decision whether or not to continue with the principles of organic farming depends largely on changing external factors, especially direct support. If direct support to organic farmers was abrogated, less than one-fifth of the respondents would stay in the business. If the extent of direct support remained the same and changes were only made to the direct payment scheme, almost two-fifths of the respondents would continue. Meanwhile, the situation in the market, when compared to direct support, is a driver of a lesser importance. The current system of organic certification in Lithuania is not a major factor to most farmers when making decisions whether to practice organic farming.