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Bonn, Frick, Bad
Duerkheim, and Nuremberg, Germany
February 20, 2008
Global organic farming
registers continued growth
The International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Research
Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) und the Foundation
Ecology and Agriculture (SÖL) will present the latest statistics
about organic agriculture worldwide at BioFach 2008. The results
of this year’s study titled “The World of Organic Agriculture:
Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008” will be presented at the
world’s largest trade fair for organic products on Friday
February 22nd 2008 at 10:00 in Room Shanghai.
The study shows that 30.4 million hectares are currently
certified according to organic standards (data as at the end of
2006). Australia continues to account for the largest certified
organic surface area, with 12.3 million hectares, followed by
China (2.3 million hectares), Argentina (2.2 million hectares)
and the USA (1.6 million hectares). The greatest share of global
organic surface area is in Oceania/Australia (42%), followed by
Europe (24%) and Latin America (16%). In terms of certified land
under organic management as a proportion of national
agricultural area, the Alpine countries, such as Austria (13%,
361,487 hectares) and Switzerland (12%, 125,596 hectares), top
the statistics. Compared to the adjusted data of the previous
survey, the global organic area grew by approximately 1.8
million hectares during 2006. Growth was strongest in
Oceania/Australia (more than 600,000 hectares) and Europe (more
than 500,000 hectares). From the first figures available for
2007, Helga Willer of FiBL expects that the area under organic
management has continued to grow.
The global market for organic products reached a value of 38.6
billion US Dollars in 2006, with the vast majority of products
being consumed in North America and Europe, according to Organic
Monitor. This constitutes a growth of five billion US Dollars
compared to the 2005 data. Healthy growth rates are expected to
continue in the coming years. Angela Caudle de Freitas, IFOAM
Executive Director, suggests that the ever-growing demand for
organic products offers attractive opportunities for producers –
especially those in developing countries.
The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends
2008 is being presented for the ninth consecutive year at
BioFach 2008. In addition to chapters reviewing organic
agriculture worldwide, numerous illustrations and graphs, and
completely revised reports about the emerging trends and
regional development highlights on each individual continent,
the study includes a comprehensive annex with the entire data
set and expanded coverage of land-use data.
Performance of the global survey and production of the yearbook
has been supported by NürnbergMesse since 2000. Starting in
2008, support is now also being provided by the Swiss State
Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO), Berne/Switzerland,
within the framework of its support activities for organic
production in developing countries and by the International
Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva/Switzerland, which has joined the
survey as a partner. The global survey on organic farming and
the publication of the yearbook have been carried out jointly by
IFOAM, FiBL and SÖL since 2000.
Book info
- Helga Willer, Minou
Yussefi-Menzler and Neil Sorensen (Editors) (2008): The
World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging
Trends 2008. IFOAM, Bonn/Germany and FiBL,
Frick/Switzerland. 272 pages, 25 EUR, 978-3-934055-99-5 and
978-3-03736-014-9
- The print version of the
study can be ordered from IFOAM or FiBL (addresses see
above).
- The study can be purchased
as a pdf document via Internet from both the IFOAM and FiBL
websites for 20 Euros at shop.ifoam.org/bookstore/ and
www.fibl.org/shop/index.php
- A hardback edition is
published by Earthscan, London, UK, ISBN 978-1-84407-592-8
Graphics: are available via
www.organic-world.net.
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