Organic Farming Statistics By Region, Country, Retail Share and Facts
Updated · Oct 09, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Fun Facts
- Market Share Of Organic Farming By Region
- Organic Farming Area Worldwide
- Organic Farming Statistics By Country
- Number Of Producers Of Organic Farming In France
- The Countries Where The Most People Buy Organic
- Retail Share Of Organic Food Worldwide
- Growth Of Organic Producers
- Recent Developments
- Conclusion
Introduction
Organic Farming Statistics: Organic farming has been moving worldwide as a result of enhanced buyers’ awareness of ecological sustainability and health benefits. The practice excludes artificial chemicals, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), concentrating on natural processes and materials instead. Owing to this growing demand for organic products, the states’ market for such farming is growing, too, making it an integral sector of agriculture.
In 2023, the global organic farming statistics market was valued at approximately $180 billion US dollars, which is a remarkable growth, elapsing from 160 billion dollars in 2022. This upsurge is ascribed to the rising need for foodstuff, especially within developed nations like America as well as those of Europe. This article will thus look into key indicators of organic farming statistics from 2023 to 2024 by focusing on its economic implications and factors behind its expansion.
Editor’s Choice
- Sustainability of Food Supply through Organic Agriculture is a report that estimates the global organic farming statistics market will reach USD 188 billion by 2030 from USD 93 billion in 2023, with an annual CAGR of 7.8%.
- Farmers will use biological crop management techniques and biopesticides in place of synthetic fertilizers to maintain soil fertility and encourage sustainable agriculture practices.
- Organic farming statistics rely on organic wastes such as crop residue, animal dung, and other farm wastes combined with beneficial microbes (inoculating bacteria) to release nutrients in an eco-friendly way required for sustainable production.
- There are two types of this farming system: pure organic farming, where farmers only employ biological control methods, and integrated organic farming, where they combine some level of chemical inputs.
- As the demand for non-chemical, natural food products increases, so does their growing acceptance by farmers, thus driving market growth.
- Awareness campaigns have made it possible for mixer jobs to reduce the amount of synthetic bio-stimulants, GM seeds, and disinfectants used because these have detrimental effects on the planting medium.
- A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization states that there are 3.1 million organic farmers globally, growing on 72.3 million hectares in 187 countries.
- The Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative has benefited 1.76 million farmers by providing insights on soil fertility and organic weed management, promoting the adoption of organic farming methods.
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Fun Facts
- The pure organic farming sector had the most extensive portion of the market share in 2022.
- In contrast, it is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.6% between 2023 and 2030 because of increasing demand for chemical-free organic food items.
- Organic Farming statistics show that it includes African food safety regulations and initiatives aimed towards promoting organic agriculture.
- The fastest-growing Weed Management segment is predicted to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 7.9% between 2023 and 2030 due to the adoption of successful methods like mulching as weed control measures, which can enhance crop yield and upsurge soil fertility.
- In the years 2020 – 2021, India’s horticulture sector attained 331 million tons, making it the second largest producer of horticulture products globally and fifth in terms of certified organic farming land area, with 2.3 million acres of such land. Between 2020 and 2021, India’s organic exports amounted to USD 1.04 billion.
- Worldwide, authorities are promoting organic farming initiatives for sustainable development and improved soil quality. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched the Organic Transition Initiative, which aims to support farmers through education.
- One of the challenges facing organic food producers is high cost due to poor post-harvest handling systems, poor marketing strategies, and distribution difficulties. Prices rose nearly 7% year-on-year in Q2 2022, resulting in a drop in unit sales of 2.8%.
(Reference: industryarc.com)
- Organic farming statistics reveal that In 2022, North America maintained the biggest pie (34%) of the organic farming industry.
- This region is anticipated to continue leading from 2023 to 2030, owing to the increased drive and investments in sustainable agriculture by governments in the United States.
- Asia Pacific has a 30% share of the market after the North American region.
Organic Farming Area Worldwide
(Reference: statista.com)
- The Organic farming statistics argue that, with some 50 million ha more since 2012, it’s estimated that by 2022, approximately 96.4 million hectares worldwide will be devoted to growing crops without chemical inputs.
- These statistics will increase year by year, but in 2022, they have leapt to 20.3 million.
Organic Farming Statistics By Country
Organic Farming In The U.S.
- United States organic farm produce is referred to as certified organic under the USDA-established norms.
- According to organic farming statistics, about 76.4 million hectares of land are used for organic farming, with just 5% coming from North America.
- Nevertheless, America topped worldwide earnings from the organic food industry, with sales estimated at approximately 48.6 billion euros.
- Between 2015 and 2021, certified organic farms across the US experienced more than 36% growth. In 2021, organic agricultural plots increased to cover 3.54 million hectares within America’s borders.
- Consequently, organically produced food in America has been enjoying a more than 10-year growth trajectory, recently reaching 57 billion United States dollars.
- A surge in demand for organic products in the US will also lead to significant growth in Organic ready meals and packaged foods.
Organic Farming In Europe
- In Europe, the organic farming land will increase to 17800000 hectares by 2021, while France and Spain have the largest farms.
- The two countries, Italy and France, have the highest number of organic producers across Europe.
- Scotland is second in the UK in terms of land used for organic farming, with 103500 hectares.
- The land on which agriculture is done may have arable crops, permanent grasslands, or other uses. About 378,000 organic producers existed in 2021, as did around 82500 organic processors within the EU, which indicates tremendous expansion over the years.
- There are regional variations in the type of crops grown chemically-free by farmers depending on their locality. For example, Italian farmers specialize more in cereal crop production with no chemicals, while Danes concentrate on dairy products produced under such conditions.
- Therefore, Denmark produced twenty-five million kilograms of bio-egg during the 1970s, but this failed due to the introduction of DDT into the food chain.
- Organic retail sales value in Europe surpassed €54.5 billion (one year), more than four times the amount it was fifteen years ago.
- Personal health decisions and nutrition patterns propel this increasing requirement for these types of diets.
Organic Farming In Finland
- There were almost five thousand organic farms in Finland, accounting for more than 11% of all farms in the country.
- According to organic farming statistics, the average size of organic farms in Finland has increased to about 67 hectares per farm as of 2022.
- In 2022, oats emerged as the most highly cultivated crop under organic farming, with a production output estimated at around 107 million kilograms.
- Compared to previous years, organic yields for wheat, barley, and oats showed improvements.
- Regarding meat production, organic beef cattle, and pigs were primarily raised in Finland.
- Finland produced approximately 4.43 million kilograms of organic meat in 2022, which was slightly lower than in 2021.
- More than three million four hundred and 22 thousand kilos were realized from beef alone, making it the dominant organic meat producer.
- The lowest volume recorded for organic lamb was two hundred and eighty thousand kilos, but it accounted for close to 21% of total lamb production across the nation.
Organic Farming In India
- Pest control in organic farming is possible because waste from plants or animals is used, making it resource-efficient and friendly to the environment.
- Out of the 187 nations that practice organic farming, India plays a vital role.
- With 9.12 million acres of organic farmland, India consists of 30% of the world’s organic producers.
- Organic foods are free from harmful chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides and have high antioxidants and minerals.
- Moreover, it tastes better than other types as well as helps in keeping the environment clean and healthy thereby maintaining ecological balance between its different components.
- The demand for organic food is skyrocketing, thus increasing profitability levels substantially in the years ahead.
- According to organic farming statistics by experts in this field, India’s market for organic products is expected to reach 64 billion rupees by 2025.
Organic Farming In Germany
- In 2023, goats accounted for about 34% of the livestock in German organic farming.
- On a different note, German businesses that practice organic animal husbandry have been experiencing an upward trend, indicated by approximately 19,200 active firms as of 2023.
- Since then, its size has been on an upward trend. As of 2023, it was about 1.94 million hectares, compared to one million hectares in 2013.
- Moreover, the organic vegetable farming area has also increased. By 2023, this land size was around eighteen thousand hectares.
- In the years 2022 and 2023, the local vegetable supply amounted to only 36%, leaving outside imports to meet market needs.
- In 2023, the largest number of verified organic products pertained to hot beverages, with more than 16,300 certificates being awarded.
- Additionally, starting aid for permanent crop farming, including nursery stock, in 2023 amounted to €1,210 per hectare, the highest amount for any of the farming categories. Other eligible areas comprised grasslands and horticulture.
Number Of Producers Of Organic Farming In France
(Reference: statista.com)
- From 2014 to 2023, the number of organic producers has increased dramatically, from 24687 to over 58400.
- Consequently, the organic food market has witnessed several sectors that expanded not long ago.
- For example, the increasing retail sales value of organic foods and the growth of land under organic agriculture imply that the trend is expected to be sustained.
The Countries Where The Most People Buy Organic
(Reference: statista.com)
- Organic farming statistics show that over 15% of Denmark’s food sales are organic, and thus, it has become the largest market for organic food in terms of relative factors.
- Other countries, including Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, have organic food sales surpassing 10%, showing that globally, there is still a niche market for organic foods despite its popularity. When looking at only those foods sold as organic on a global scale, the total revenue from them makes up just 1.9%.
- On the other hand, Germany ranks number seven, indicating a high preference for organic food items within German-speaking countries.
- In Benelux and Scandinavian countries, they consistently achieve organic food sales rates below 5%. Therefore, most parts are experiencing slow growth in the market of organic foods, where price is perceived to be a hindrance to many buyers.
- The biggest organic product marketplace was located in the USA during 2023, contributing about 7.2% of the country’s total food sales, which is approximately $70 billion out of a total of $975 billion, excluding out-of-home payments.
- For example, the total amount spent on food by Europeans was almost $2 trillion. Still, only 3.9% was attributed to sales of organically produced commodities, resulting in the market being slightly more developed than the US market valued at $77.6 billion due to lesser uptake levels in some of Eastern and Southern European nations’ Standard output.
(Reference: statista.com)
- In 2022, America was a big name in the organic market, with a 43% share of total world retail sales. In other words, nearly half of the total revenue from organics came from the US.
- On the other hand, China had only a 9% share in the world organic retail market that year. It means that when compared to the USA, China’s contribution to global organic product sales was relatively low but still considerable.
Growth Of Organic Producers
(Reference: orgprints.org)
- In the whole world, there are 4.5 million organic farms.
- Growth from 2021 to 2022: 900,000 more organic farms raised the total by 25.6%. The highest increases in organic farms occur in the following areas:
- India: added 880,000 organic farms.
- Thailand: increased by 48,000 organic farms.
- Democratic Republic of Congo: increased by 23,000 organic farms.
- Greece: increased by 23,000 organic farms.
- Kenya: increased by 20,000 organic farms.
- Decline: Tanzania has seen a decrease in its number of organic farms.
Recent Developments
- At some point in 2024, the Bionema Group put forth tenders for its eco-friendly plant health management products that would shift away from dependence on synthetic fertilizers, instead advocating for sustainable agriculture.
- In March 2024, UConn’s College of Engineering and College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources presented the Small Farm Innovations Project to assist Connecticut farmers in adopting new tools backed by USDA funding.
- The products produced by Take Root Organics include organic tomatoes in different forms released in February 2024; these demonstrate their commitment to sustainable farming practices, including transparency while still marketing other (as well) non-GMO items.
Conclusion
Organic farming is growing in popularity worldwide due to consumer demand, government support, and rising sustainability awareness. With estimates that indicate continued expansion even into 2024 and beyond, the prospects for organic farming statistics appear bright. It is expected, therefore, that farming methods will incorporate technological advancements such as natural pest control and organic manure, which would lead to an increase in yields and, hence, reduced costs.
Furthermore, an increase in awareness about green and sustainable consumption is likely to keep stimulating demand for such produce. The global market for organic products is projected to reach $195 billion U.S. dollars by 2024, making it a significant segment of agriculture. Despite its challenges like high cost and low yield, continuous innovation, and farmer support are expected to maintain the development of organic farming in the future.
FAQ.
According to reports released in October 2023, this market currently ranks approximately the third largest globally at about $180 billion. It is anticipated to grow to $188 billion by 2030 with an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8 %.
In 2022, North America commanded a 34 %share of the world’s organic agriculture. The Asia Pacific region trailed behind with a corresponding 30 %share.
The most significant growth has occurred in some countries. On a global basis, from 2021 to 2022, the number of organic farms increased by 25.6 %, reaching 4.5 million now ranked as such. Most noticeable was India, where there were an additional 880,000 more of these farms.
Recent developments include Bionema Group’s launch of a tender for eco-friendly plant health management products, UConn’s Small Farm Innovations Project supported by USDA funding, and Take Root Organics’ expansion of organic tomato products focused on sustainable farming practices.
The organic farming sector faces challenges such as high costs due to inefficient post-harvest handling and distribution. Prices for organic products have risen, contributing to a decrease in unit sales. Despite these challenges, continuous innovation and increasing consumer demand are expected to drive further growth, with the organic market projected to reach $195 billion by 2024.
Ketaki Joshi is a professional medical writer with extensive experience in scientific research on illness, health, and healthcare. Her work includes creating feature articles for newsletters and websites, as well as research news stories for doctors and researchers. With a lifelong passion for reading, Ketaki transitioned from a career at a French multinational company to pursue writing professionally. Her dedication to the craft has culminated in the recent release of her first Amazon-published short story, "The Envelope That Changed Our Lives."
