Innovative Technology and Sustainable Development of Organic - 1.

validation, using an iterative process involving stakeholders (Borch, 2007). Impact assessments on
known technologies, which have not been implemented, have also been performed (Sørensen et al.,
2005). In a process of extrapolating test-prototypes results to agricultural systems, assessment on
economic consequences (revenue, labour) was performed. Based on previous examples of detrimental
impact, a perpetual evaluation of new technologies when implemented in organic practice is required,
to avoid externalities on environmental or social aspects. Challenge lies in selecting and agreeing on
relevant issues to assess, incorporating the holistic approach of the organic principles and making
trade-offs. In addition the conclusion of foresight technology research can be quoted; ‘it is necessary to
define clear sustainability criteria and matching indicators. Only in this way can technological
development be evaluated and prioritized’ (Borch, 2007). Compliance of the sustainability criteria to
organic principles is necessary in this process.
An example of an innovative technology in organic dairy production is the use of an automatic
milking system (AMS). In 2007, 10% of the organic farms in Denmark used an AMS (Danish
Agricultural Advisory System), whereas in the Netherlands this was around 8.7% (Smolders, 2008). Its
introduction occurred relatively quickly during the last decade. The economic, environmental and
social consequences of introduction of AMS technology in organic dairy farming, however, were never
assessed. Integrating EES issues into technology assessments and exploring future situations, is quite a
challenge. Disciplinary impact analyses are dominant, and often research prefers to investigate present
situations rather than referring to the unsure foresight of the future.
In literature, a framework has been described, that could be used to evaluate the economic,
environmental and social consequences of the introduction of AMS (Mollenhorst et al., 2006). Other
methods have been developed to explore future development (Sonesson et al., 2005). Both methods
implicate use of stakeholders, which seems necessary for technology assessment. The framework
described by Mollenhorst et al. (2006) consists of the following steps:
1. Identification of stakeholders and description of the problem situation.
2. Determination of the goals of production and relevant economic, ecological and
societal (EES) issues.
3. Translation of the selected issues into quantifiable indicators for sustainability.
4. Final assessment of the contribution of a technology to sustainable development based
on indicator quantification in step (3)
5. Communication and dissemination of results to stakeholders, review of the
process, and evaluation of results based on the original problem definition.
In conclusion, the importance of a holistic assessment of innovative technology is evident and
concerning implementation on organic farming, the necessity is extra important due to specific defined
goals on environmental and societal level (IFOAM, 2008).
1.3 Objectives of the research
The general objective of the PhD assignment was to assess the contribution of new technologies to the
sustainable development of organic dairy farming, using AMS as a case for the present technological
situation.
To accomplish this general objective, the framework as described in 1.2 was used. This resulted in
the following research questions;
Thesis Frank W. Oudshoorn 13