Current status of organic farming world-wide

Summary

Abstract
In this paper some current data on organic farming are presented, based on the global survey on organic farming carried out 2007/2008 by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM and Foundation Ecology & Agriculture (SOEL).
Organic agriculture is developing rapidly and is now practiced in more than 130 countries of the world. Its share of agricultural land and farms continues to grow in many countries. According to the latest survey on global organic farming, 30.4 million hectares of agricultural land were managed organically at the end of 2006, constituting a growth of 1.8 million hectares compared to 2005. Additionally, according to this survey, there are more than thirty million hectares of wild collection areas.
Oceania has the largest share of organic agricultural land, followed by Europe and Latin America. Currently, the country with the largest organic area is Australia (more than 12 million hectares). The proportion of organically compared to conventionally managed land, is highest in Oceania and in Europe. In the European Union (EU 27) 4% of the land is under organic management. Most producers are in Latin America.
Global demand for organic products remains robust, with sales increasing by over five billion US Dollars a year. Organic Monitor estimates international sales to have reached 38.6 billion US Dollars in 2006, double that of 2000, when sales were at 18 billion US Dollars.
The analysis of the global organic data for the countries on the list of recipients of Official Development Assistance (DAC List) shows, that more than one quarter of the world’s organic agricultural land (8.8 million hectares) is in countries on this list. Most of this land is Latin America followed by Asia and Africa. The leading countries in terms of organic land are China, Argentina and Uruguay. Compared to the developed countries, organic farming is lagging behind.
From the data gained through the global organic survey it is clear that in many developing and transition countries organic farming plays an increasingly important role and it is now increasingly supported by governments. In the light of booming organic markets it can be assumed that the market/export potential for organic products continues to be high. However, to assure supply with organic products not only in industrialised countries but also in countries in the south, more effort should be made to in develop local markets.
Reference
Willer, Helga, Minou Yussefi-Menzler und Neil Sorensen (Eds. 2008): The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008. IFOAM, Bonn and FiBL, Frick. Hardcover edition: Earthscan, London