Conventional vs.

Organic farming
The word "organic" refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don't use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease. For example, rather than using chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay. Here are some key differences between conventional farming and organic farming: Conventional Organic

Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.

Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.

Spray synthetic insecticides to reduce pests and disease.

Spray pesticides from natural sources; use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.

Use synthetic herbicides to manage weeds.

Use environmentally-generated plantkilling compounds; rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.

Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.

Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing to help minimize disease.

Organic or not? Check the label

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed. Any product labeled as organic must be USDA certified. Only producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt from this certification; however, they're still required to follow the USDA's standards for organic foods. If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it's produced and processed according to the USDA standards. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use
Products certified 95 percent or more organic display this USDA seal.

Products that are completely organic such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other singleingredient foods are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry the USDA seal.

Infographics courtesy of: http://www.helpguide.org/life/organic_foods_pesticides_gmo.htm

Quality differences
Defining the quality differences between organic and non -organic produce and meats is difficult because of the differing values people assign to quality when it comes to food. In a nutshell, organic food products must meet the same standards that apply to non-organic foods, but the organic food products must meet an additional set of standards (the NOP) that do not apply to non-organic products. Additionally, organic products are required to be certified as meeting these extra standards, while participation by non-organic product producers in many of the basic USDA-established standards and certifications is not required (though many do participate). Back to our original question: is there a quality difference between organic and non-organic products? If you as an individual associate attributes such as higher product consistency, greater size and more perfect physical characteristics with greater quality in the f ood you eat, then organic products probably would not represent a higher-quality product to you. Also, although a lot of people believe that organic products are nutritionally superior to nonorganic products, some very recent studies have shown that the nutritional differences between organic products and non-organic products are generally minuscule, although research on the topic is ongoing.

The number of farmers' markets in the United States has grown steadily from 1,755 markets in 1994, when USDA began to track them, to over 8,144 in 2013. Participating farmers are responding to heightened demand for locally grown organic product. A USDA survey of market managers (see Organic Produce, Price Premiums, and Eco-Labeling in U.S. Farmers' Markets, April 2004) found that demand for organic products was strong or moderate in most of the farmers' markets surveyed around the country, and that managers felt more organic farmers were needed to meet consumer demand in many States

Global Statistics 2014: The market, the producers, and the area The market research company Organic Monitor estimates the global market for organic products in 2012 reached almost 64 billion US dollars (ca. 50 billion euros). The leading market is the United States with 22.6 billion euros, followed by Germany (7 billion euros) and France (4 billion euros). The countries with the highest per capita spending were Switzerland (189 euros) and Denmark (159 euros). Moving from consumers to producers, according to the FiBL-IFOAM survey, approximately 80 percent of a global total of 1.9 million organic producers (up from 1.8 million) are located in developing countries. As in previous years, the countries with the most producers are India (600000), Uganda (189610), Mexico (169707), and Tanzania (148610). From a farmland perspective, a total of 37.5 million hectares were organic at the end of 2012. An increase of almost 200000 hectares was reported compared with 2012. In Africa, organic land increased by seven percent and in Europe by six percent.

One third of all global organic agricultural land is in Oceania (32 percent; 12.2 million hectares), followed by Europe (30 percent; 11.2 million hectares), and Latin America (18 percent; 6.8 million hectares). Australia is the country with the largest organic agricultural area (12 million hectares, with 97 percent of that area used as grazing), followed by Argentina (3.6 million hectares) and the United States of America (2.2 million hectares). The countries with the largest share of organic agricultural land of all farmland are the Falkland Islands (36.3 percent), followed by Liechtenstein (29.6 percent) and Austria (19.7 percent) and further European countries. In ten countries more than ten percent of agricultural land is organic. The most significant expansion in organic area as well as solid market growth noted in recent years has been in Europe.

Statistics: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Helga Willer, Ackerstrasse, 5070 Frick, Switzerland, Tel. +41 (0)79 2180626, Fax +41 (0)62 8657273, helga.willer(at)fibl.org; www.fibl.org Organic 3.0: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Markus Arbenz, Charles-de-Gaulle-Strasse 5, 53113 Bonn, Germany, Tel. +49 (0)160 8041557, Fax +49 (0)228 9265099, m.arbenz(at)ifoam.org ; www.ifoam.org

Industry Statistics and Projected Growth

U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010. Sales in 2010 represented 7.7 percent growth over 2009 sales. Experiencing the highest growth in sales during 2010 were organic fruits and vegetables, up 11.8 percent over 2009 sales Source: Organic Trade Associations 2011 Organic Industry Survey Organic food and beverage sales represented approximately 4 percent of overall food and beverage sales in 2010. Leading were organic fruits and vegetables, now representing over 11 percent of all U.S. fruit and vegetable sales. Source: Organic Trade Associations 2011 Organic Industry Survey Organic non-food sales grew 9.7 percent in 2010, to reach $1.97 billion. Source: Organic Trade Associations 2011 Organic Industry Survey Total U.S. organic sales, including food and non-food products, were $28.682 billion in 2010, up 9.7 percent from 2009. Source: Organic Trade Associations 2011 Organic Industry Survey Mass market retailers (mainstream supermarkets, club/warehouse stores, and mass merchandisers) in 2010 sold 54 percent of organic food. Natural retailers were next, selling 39 percent of total organic food sales. Other sales occur via export, the Internet, farmers markets/ Community Supported Agriculture, mail order, and boutique and specialty stores. Source: Organic Trade Associations 2011 Organic Industry Survey. Certified organic acreage in the United States reached more than 4.8 million acres in 2008, according to latest data posted by USDA. U.S. total organic cropland reached 2,655,382 acres in 2008, while land devoted to organic pasture totaled 2,160,577 acres. California leads with the most certified organic cropland, with over 430,000 acres, largely used for fruit and vegetable production. Other states with the most certified organic cropland include Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota and Montana. Forty-five states also had some certified organic rangeland and pasture in 2008; of those, 13 states had more

than 100,000 acres each, reflecting the growth in the U.S. organic dairy sector between 2005 and 2008. Certified organic cropland acreage between 2002 and 2008 averaged 15 percent annual growth. However, it still only represented about 0.7 percent of all U.S. cropland, while certified organic pasture only represented 0.5 percent of all U.S. pasture in 2008. Overall, certified organic cropland and pasture accounted for about 0.6 percent of U.S. total farmland in 2008. Fresh produce is still the top-selling organic category in retail sales. Meanwhile, the organic livestock sector has seen growth, with 2.7 percent of U.S. dairy cows and 1.5 percent of layer hens managed under certified organic systems. Source: U.S. Department of Agricultures Economic Research Service, www.ers.usda.gov/data/organic.

Acreage managed organically in 2009 in the world totaled 37.2 million hectares, up 2 million hectares from 2008, according to data from The World of Organic Agriculture 2011. Of the total area managed organically, 23 million hectares were grassland. Counted in the report was data from 160 countries. Countries with the largest area of organically managed land were Australia (12 million hectares), Argentina (4.4 million hectares), and the United States (1.9 million hectares. The largest increase in organic agricultural land occurred in Europe, with an increase of one million hectares. Regionally, the greatest share of organic agricultural land was in Oceania (33 percent), followed by Europe (25 percent) and Latin America (23 percent). Source: The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics & Emerging Trends 2011. According to Organic Monitor estimates, global organic sales reached $54.9 billion in 2009, up from, $50.9 billion in 2008. The countries with the largest markets are the United States, Germany, and France. The highest per capita consumption is in Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria. Source: The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics & Emerging Trends 2011

Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?

The only people who think organic farming can feed the world are delusional hippies, hysterical moms, and self-righteous organic farmers. Right? Actually, no. A fair number of agribusiness executives, agricultural and ecological scientists, and international agriculture experts believe that a large-scale shift to organic farming would not only increase the world's food supply, but might be the only way to eradicate hunger. This probably comes as a surprise. After all, organic farmers scorn the pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and other tools that have become synonymous with high-yield agriculture. Instead, organic farmers depend on raising animals for manure, growing beans, clover, or other nitrogen-fixing legumes, or making compost and other sources of fertilizer that cannot be manufactured in a chemical plant but are instead grown-which consumes land, water, and other resources. (In contrast, producing synthetic fertilizers consumes massive amounts of petroleum.) Since organic farmers can't use synthetic pesticides, one can imagine that their fields suffer from a scourge of crop-munching bugs, fruit-rotting blights, and plant-choking weeds. And because organic farmers depend on rotating crops to help control pest problems, the same field won't grow corn or wheat or some other staple as often. In recent years, organic farming has attracted new scrutiny, not just from critics who fear that a large-scale shift in its direction would cause billions to starve, but also from farmers and development agencies who actually suspect that such a shift could better satisfy hungry populations. High-Tech, Low-Impact There are actually myriad studies from around the world showing that organic farms can produce about as much, and in some settings much more, than conventional farms. Where there is a yield gap, it tends to be widest in wealthy nations, where farmers use copious amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in a perennial attempt to maximize yields. It is true that farmers converting to organic production often encounter lower yields in the first few years, as the soil and surrounding biodiversity recover from years of assault with chemicals. And it may take several seasons for farmers to refine the new approach. Contrary to critics who jibe that it's going back to farming like our grandfathers did or that most of Africa already farms organically and it can't do the job, organic farming is a sophisticated

combination of old wisdom and modern ecological innovations that help harness the yieldboosting effects of nutrient cycles, beneficial insects, and crop synergies. It's heavily dependent on technology-just not the technology that comes out of a chemical plant. Wrong Question? But some supporters of organic farming shy away from even asking whether it can feed the world, simply because they don't think it's the most useful question. There is good reason to believe that a global conversion to organic farming would not proceed as seamlessly as plugging some yield ratios into a spreadsheet. To begin with, organic farming isn't as easy as farming with chemicals. Instead of choosing a pesticide to prevent a pest outbreak, for example, a particular organic farmer might consider altering his crop rotation, planting a crop that will repel the pest or one that will attract its predators-decisions that require some experimentation and long-term planning. Bringing cows back to one or two farms to build up soil fertility may seem like a no-brainer, but doing it wholesale would be a challenge-and dumping ammonia on depleted soils still makes for a quicker fix. Again, these are just theoretical assumptions, since a global shift to organic farming could take decades. But farmers are ingenious and industrious people and they tend to cope with whatever problems are at hand. Eliminate nitrogen fertilizer and many farmers will probably graze cows on their fields to compensate. Eliminate fungicides and farmers will look for fungusresistant crop varieties. As more and more farmers begin to farm organically, everyone will get better at it. Many benefits can come out of a gradual switch to organic farming methods. Studies have shown, for example, that the "external" costs of organic farming- erosion, chemical pollution to drinking water, death of birds and other wildlife-are just one-third those of conventional farming. Surveys from every continent show that organic farms support many more species of birds, wild plants, insects, and other wildlife than conventional farms. There are social benefits as well. Because organic farming doesn't depend on expensive inputs, it might help shift the balance towards smaller farmers in hungry nations. A 2002 report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization noted that "organic systems can double or triple the productivity of traditional systems" in developing nations but suggested that yield comparisons

offer a "limited, narrow, and often misleading picture" since farmers in these countries often adopt organic farming techniques to save water, save money, and reduce the variability of yields in extreme conditions. A more recent study by the International Fund for Agricultural Development found that the higher labor requirements often mean that "organic agriculture can prove particularly effective in bringing redistribution of resources in areas where the labor force is underemployed. This can help contribute to rural stability." http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4060

Whats being done to help organics?

Organic Provisions in the 2014 Farm Act

Federal support for organic production systems, including financial assistance for farmers completing the certification process and funding for organic research, has increased in each of the last three farm acts. The Agricultural Act of 2014:

Expands funding to assist organic producers and handlers with the cost of organic certification. Mandatory funding more than doubles from the 2008 Farm Acts mandate to $57.5 million over the lifespan of the 2014 Act. Continues mandatory funding to improve economic data on the organic sector at $5 million over the lifespan of the Act; another $5 million is added to upgrade the database and technology systems of USDAs National Organic Program. Expands total mandatory organic research funding to $100 million. Authorized funding for the National Organic Program expands to $15 million annually. Exempts certified organic producers from having to pay for conventional commodity promotion programs on their organic production, and establishes the option for an organic promotion program. Requires improvements in crop insurance for organic producers and strengthens enforcement of organic regulations.

According to the USDA Economic Research Service http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/organic-agriculture/farm-act organic-provisions.aspx

Additional Materials and Information

WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) WWOOF connects volunteers with organic farmers around the world. Volunteers provide labor to cultivate the organic foods in exchange for the education on organic farming practices, food, and accommodations. http://www.wwoof.net/ MOSES (Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service) MOSES offers many resources to farmers and people who want to begin organic farming. http://mosesorganic.org/