The positive global organic trends continue: Consumer demand is increasing, reflected in the significant 11.5% market growth in the US, the world’s largest organic market. More farmers are growing organically, more land is certified organic, and 170 countries report organic farming activities (up from 164) as shown in the 2015 edition of the FiBL-IFOAM study The World of Organic Agriculture (Data to end of 2013).
Market research company Organic Monitor estimates the global market for organic products in 2013 to have reached 72 billion US Dollars (approximately 55 billion euros). The United States is the leading market with 24.3 billion euros, followed by Germany (7.6 billion euros) and France (4.4 billion euros). In 2013 official market data was for the first time ever published for China (2.4 billion euros), making the country the fourth biggest organic market in the world. The highest per capita spending was in Switzerland (210 euros) and Denmark (163 euros).
“We are very pleased to see the recent excellent growth worldwide”, states Markus Arbenz, executive director of IFOAM – Organics International. “The positive environmental, social and economic impacts of the sector in the global South and North confirm the sector’s importance as a lighthouse.”
Reaching a new all-time high, two million organic producers were reported in 2013. As in previous years, the countries with the highest number of producers were India (650,000), Uganda (189,610) and Mexico (169,703).
A total of 43.1 million hectares were organic at the end of 2013, representing a growth of almost 6 million hectares compared to the previous survey. In Oceania, organic land increased by a 42%, which was mainly due to rangeland areas shifting to organic production in Australia. Australia is the country with the largest organic agricultural area (17.2 million hectares, with 97% of that area used as grazing), followed by Argentina (3.2 million hectares) and the United States of America (2.2 million hectares). 40% of the global organic agricultural land is in Oceania (17.3 million hectares), followed by Europe (27%; 11.5 million hectares), and Latin America (15%; 6.6 million hectares).
The countries with the largest share of organic agricultural land of their total farmland are the Falkland Islands (36.3%), followed by Liechtenstein (31%) and Austria (19.5%). In eleven countries more than 10% of all agricultural land is organic.
