Sustainability of Organic Agriculture. Achievements and shortcomings

Summary

IFOAM and FiBL publish global statistics on the Organic World every year. The Organic Sector has grown to over US$ 60 billion in turnover, 1.6 million farmers and 80 million ha of certified land. Non-certified Organic Agriculture is not even included. However, market shares are still low. The present main driver of development of Organic Agriculture is the demand from consumers ready to pay a premium.
After the Organic World Congress 2011, a number of leading organic stakeholders under the initiative of IFOAM built the Sustainable Organic Agriculture Action Network (SOAAN). In the meantime they have described a sustainability vision in a reference document for all who are working in the Organic World. IFOAM plans to bring this document to a membership vote in 2013.
The Organic World has achieved a lot but nonetheless fallen short of fulfilling many expectations. It has faced criticism worldwide, for example in studies and media reports.