|
Press

Global Organic Area Continues to Grow

Organic Tomatoes

Over 71.5 Million Hectares Of Farmland Are Organic!

The latest global data on organic farming worldwide will be presented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and IFOAM – Organics International at BIOFACH, the world’s leading trade fair for organic food, in Nuremberg, Germany. The statistical yearbook “The World of Organic Agriculture” will be launched on Wednesday, 12 February, 2020, from 5 to 6 pm CET in Hall Shanghai, NCC East.

(Frick/Nuremberg, 12 February, 2020) - 2018 was another record year for global organic agriculture. According to the latest FiBL survey on organic agriculture worldwide, organic farmland increased by 2.0 million hectares, and organic retail sales also continued to grow, reaching another all-time high, as shown by the data from 186 countries (data as of the end 2018). The 21st edition of the study “The World of Organic Agriculture” published by FiBL and IFOAM – Organics International shows a continuation of the positive trend seen in the past years. This annual survey on organic agriculture worldwide is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Sustainability Fund of Coop Switzerland, and NürnbergMesse, the organizers of the BIOFACH fair.

The Global Organic Market Continues To Grow Worldwide And Has Passed The 100 Billion US Dollar Mark

The market research company, Ecovia Intelligence, estimates that the global market for organic food surpassed 100 billion US dollars for the first time in 2018 (almost 97 billion euros). The United States is the leading market with 40.6 billion euros, followed by Germany (10.9 billion euros) and France (9.1 billion euros). In 2018, many major markets continued to show double-digit growth rates, and the French organic market grew by more than 15 percent. Danish and Swiss consumers spent the most on organic food (312 Euros per capita in 2018). Denmark had the highest organic market share with 11.5 percent of its total food market.

2.8 Million Organic Producers Worldwide

In 2018, 2.8 million organic producers were reported. India continues to be the country with the highest number of producers (1’149’000), followed by Uganda (210’000), and Ethiopia (204’000).

Steady Increase Of Organic Farmland

A total of 71.5 million hectares were organically managed at the end of 2018, representing a growth of 2.9 percent or 2 million hectares compared to 2017. Australia has the largest organic agricultural area (35.7 million hectares), followed by Argentina (3.6 million hectares), and China (3.1 million hectares). Due to the large area of organic farmland in Australia, half of the global organic agricultural land is in Oceania (36.0 million hectares). Europe has the second largest area (15.6 million hectares), followed by Latin America (8 million hectares). The organic area increased in all continents compared to 2017.

Ten Percent Or More Of The Farmland Is Organic In 16 Countries

Globally, 1.5 percent of farmland is organic. However, many countries have far higher shares. The countries with the largest organic share of their total farmland are Liechtenstein (38.5 percent), Samoa (34.5 percent), and Austria (24.7 percent). In sixteen countries, 10 percent or more of all agricultural land is organic.

Global Organic Statistics Show The Contribution Of Organic Agriculture To The Sustainable Development Goals

According to Dr. Monica Rubiolo from SECO, “Access to good quality data on organic farming not only helps to measure success toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals but also to orient decision-makers and other stakeholders along the whole value chain.” Joseph Wozniak from ITC believes that “This publication provides key insights for those who attach importance to environmental conditions behind the products produced in their countries or sold in their nation’s shops.”

“The global organic statistics have proven useful for development programs and supporting strategies for organic agriculture and markets, and they are crucial for monitoring the impact of these activities. This publication shows our ongoing engagement with transparency in the organic sector,” say Louise Luttikholt, IFOAM – Organics International Executive Director, and Professor Urs Niggli, director of FiBL.

More Information

“The World of Organic Agriculture”: How To Order / Download 

The printed version (30 Euros + postage. 20 Euros for affiliates of IFOAM – Organics International) can be ordered and downloaded at https://shop.fibl.org(link is external) (order number 5011) or at https://shop.ifoam.bio. Graphs and infographics can be downloaded at

www.organic-world.net/yearbook/yearbook-2020.html(link is external)

Online Database

Tables and interactive infographics with more details on crops, markets, and international trade, as well as explanations about the data can be found on FiBL’s statistics website https://statistics.fibl.org(link is external).

Contacts

Dr. Helga Willer, FiBL

Ackerstrasse 113, 5070Frick, Switzerland

Telephone +41 (0)79 218 06 26

Email: helga.willer@fibl.org

Website: www.fibl.org(link is external)

Louise Luttikholt, IFOAM  – Organics International

Charles-de-Gaulle-Strasse 5, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Telephone +49 (0)160 8041557

Email: l.luttikholt@ifoam.bio

Website: www.ifoam.bio

BIOFACH 2020 Session Program For “The World of Organic Agriculture – Statistics and Emerging Trends”

Wednesday, 12 February, 2020, 5 to 6 pm, Hall Shanghai (NCC East), NürnbergMesse, Nürnberg

  • Louise Luttikholt, IFOAM – Organics International, Moderator
  • Dr. Christian Robin, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
  • Dr. Helga Willer, FiBL: Latest data on organic agriculture worldwide
  • Joelle Katto-Andrighetto, IFOAM – Organics International: Standards and regulations
  • Amarjit Sahota, Ecovia Intelligence, UK: The global market for organic food

More information: www.biofach.fibl.org/en/biofach-2020.html (link is external)

Supporters

Book Reference/Citation 

Willer, Helga, Bernhard Schlatter, Jan Trávníček, Laura Kemper and Julia Lernoud (Eds.) (2020): The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2020. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, and IFOAM – Organics International, Bonn. Available at www.organic-world.net/yearbook/yearbook-2020.html(link is external)

This media release and corresponding graphics are available online at www.fibl.org/en/media.html(link is external).