Julia Lernoud, Department of Extension, Training and Communication, FiBL

1. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL
info.suisse@fibl.org, www.fibl.org
The importance of organic agriculture for
low/middle income countries - A statistical
overview
Julia Lernoud and Helga Willer
March 12, 2018
Brussels
DG DEVCO - Infopoint

2. www.fibl.org
The World of Organic Agriculture 2018
www.organic-world.net
• The 19th edition of ‚The
World of Organic
Agriculture‘, was published
by FiBL and IFOAM –
Organics International in
February 2018.
• Data tables
• Country and continent
reports
• Markets, standards, policy
support
• www.organic-world.net
• statistics.fibl.org

3. www.fibl.org
Acknowledgements
• The Swiss State Secretariat of
Economic Affairs SECO
• International Trade Centre ITC
• Nürnberg Messe, the organizers of the
BioFach World Organic Trade Fair
• IFOAM – Organics International
• 200 experts from all parts of the world contributed to the FiBL survey
2018.

4. www.fibl.org
Definitions
• Organic Agriculture: "Organic
Agriculture is a production system
that sustains the health of soils,
ecosystems and people. It relies
on ecological processes,
biodiversity and cycles adapted to
local conditions, rather than the
use of inputs with adverse effects.
Organic Agriculture combines
tradition, innovation and science
to benefit the shared environment
and promote fair relationships and
a good quality of life for all
involved.“ (IFOAM – Organics
International, 2005)
Please note that the FiBL survey only
covers organic certified practices and
that in many countries organic
agriculture and processing is
regulated by governments, like the EU
regulation No 834/2007 . 4

5. www.fibl.org
Definitions
• Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS): Voluntary Sustainability
Standards (VSS) are standards developed at local, national or
international level by organizations from the public and private sectors on
environmental and social improvements. Private VSS are developed by
businesses or not-for-profit NGOs. In the agricultural sector, VSS promote
sustainability along the value chain. They define criteria to be met by the
certified organization or product, often resulting in an identifiable label for
consumers. (FAO, available at http://www.fao.org/world-banana-
forum/projects/good-practices/voluntary-sustainability-standards/en/)
5

6. www.fibl.org
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7. www.fibl.org
Key data/indicators related to area and producers 2016
• 178 countries have data on organic agriculture.
• Of which 111 are low and middle income countries.
• 57.8 million hectares of agricultural land are organic (including
conversion areas).
• Almost a quarter of the global organic area is in low/middle income
countries.
• 7.5 million hectares more than in 2015
• 1.5 million hectares more in low/middle income countries compared to
2015.
• 1.2 percent of the agricultural land is organic
• 0.4 percent in low/middle income countries.
• 15 countries have 10 percent or more organic agricultural land.
• 3 in low/middle income countries.
• 2.7 million producers were reported.
• Almost 90 percent are in low/middle income countries.

8. www.fibl.org
Organic farming in low and middle income countries
2016
• Almost a quarter of the world’s organic agricultural land – 14.3 million
hectares - is located in low and middle income countries,
representing 25 percent of the global organic farmland.* Most of
this land is in Latin American, with Asia and Africa in second and third
place.
• 2.4 million producers are in these countries, this represents almost
90 percent of the global organic producers.
• *Countries listed in the List of Recipients of Official Development
Assistance (ODA) of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC)
of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). The list is available at
https://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/DAC%20List%20of%
20ODA%20Recipients%202014%20final.pdf
8Source: FiBL survey 2018, based on national data sources

9. www.fibl.org
LOW/MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES: ORGANIC FARMLAND 2016
Latin
America
Asia
Africa
Europe Oceania
0 2 4
1
2
3
4
5
Million hectares
0% 10% 20% 30%
Timor-Leste
Dominican Republic
Uruguay
Sao Tome and Principe
Samoa
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Millionhectares
0.4% of the
farmland in
low/middle
income
countries is
organic
14.3
Mio ha
Argentina
3.0
Mio ha
In Latin America there
were 7.0 Mio ha,
in Asia 4.8 Mio ha, and
in Africa 1.8 Mio ha.
The ten countries with
the largest organic
agricultural areas
represent 79% of the
total organic agricultural
area in low/middle
income countries.
Samoa reported the
highest organic share
with 22.4%, and is the
third country with the
highest organic share
worldwide.
In 2016, over 1.5 million
hectares more
were reported
compared with 2016.
Source: FiBL survey 2017 www.organic-world.net
Distribution of organic
agricultural land by region 2016
The five countries with
the largest areas of organic
agricultural land 2016
Top 5 countries , with the highest
organic share 2016
Growth of the organic
agricultural land 2000-2016
China
Uruguay
India
Brazil
Argentina
Samoa
Timor-Leste
Dominican
Republic
Uruguay
Sao Tome &
Principe
Percentage
+970%
since 1999

10. www.fibl.org
Low/middle income countries: Growth of the organic
farmland and organic share 1999-2016
10
1.3
4.1
5.3
6.5
6.9
9.6
8.3
8.7
9.5
11.2
12.1
11.0
11.8
11.4
11.5
11.8
12.7
14.3
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.2%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.4%
0.3%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0%
0.1%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.3%
0.3%
0.4%
0.4%
0.5%
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Organicshareinpercent
Millionhectares
Low/middle income countries: Growth of the organic
agricultural land and organic share 1999-2016
Source: FiBL-IFOAM-SOEL-Surveys 1999-2018

11. www.fibl.org
Low/middle income countries: The top 10 countries with
the largest areas of organic agricultural land 2016
11
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.5
0.7
0.8
1.5
1.7
2.3
3.0
0 1 2 3 4
Tanzania
Kazakhstan
Peru
Turkey
Mexico
Brazil (2014)
India
Uruguay
China
Argentina
Million hectares
Low/middle income countries: The ten low/middle income
countries with the largest areas of organic agricultural land
2016
Source: FiBL survey 2018

12. www.fibl.org
Low/middle income countries: The top 10 countries with
the highest shares of organic agricultural land 2016
12
1.7%
4.6%
4.7%
5.3%
6.3%
7.4%
8.7%
11.5%
13.8%
22.4%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Sri Lanka
Tonga
Kiribati
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
Timor-Leste
Dominican Republic
Uruguay
Sao Tome and…
Samoa
Organic share
Low/middle income countries: The ten countries with the
highest organic shares of the total agricultural land 2016
Source: FiBL survey 2018

13. www.fibl.org
The ten countries with the largest numbers of organic producers 2012
37,295
58,258
67,879
91,771
148,610
165,994
203,602
210,000
210,352
835,000
0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000
Kenya
Paraguay
Turkey
Peru
Tanzania
Philippines
Ethiopia
Mexico
Uganda
India
Number of producers
Low/middle income countries: The ten countries with the
largest numbers of organic producers 2016
Source: FiBL survey 2018
Asia
46%
Africa
31%
Latin
America
19%
Europe
3%
Oceania
1%
Organic producers by region 2016
Source: FiBL survey 2018

14. www.fibl.org
The largest markets for organic food 2016 – Retail sales
and Export values
Low and middle income countries
14
3
4
12
13
14
14
18
130
778
5,900
0 5,000 10,000
Azerbaijan (2011)
Turkey (2009)
Thailand (2014)
Ethiopia (2015)
Peru (2010)
Mexico (2013)
Viet Nam
India (2012)
Brazil
China
Retail sales in million euros
The ten countries with the largest
markets for organic food 2016
Source: FiBL-AMI survey 2018
179
181
191
241
259
269
347
370
373
1,049
0 500 1,000 1,500
Bolivia (2011)
Ethiopia (2015)
Dominican Republic
Chile
Sri Lanka (2015)
India (2015)
Peru (2015)
Kyrgyzstan
Mexico (2013)
China
Export value in million euros
The ten countries with the
largest export values of organic
food 2016
Source: FiBL-AMI survey 2018

15. www.fibl.org
Low/middle income countries: Use of organic
agricultural land 2016
Permanent
grassland
30%
Arable land
crops
26%
Permanent
crops
22%
Other agr.
Land
2%
Low/middle income countries: Distribution
of main land use types and crop categories
2016
Source: FiBL survey 2018; based on information from the
private sector, certifiers, and governments.
Land use types 2015
0.21
0.28
0.48
0.85
1.43
0.0 1.0 2.0
Vegetables
Green fodders
Textile crops
Oilseeds
Cereals
Million hectares
Key arable crops
0.32
0.33
0.34
0.34
0.93
0.0 0.5 1.0
Fruit, trop. &…
Nuts
Coconut
Cocoa
Coffee
Million hectares
Key permanent crops

16. www.fibl.org
Selected crops
Cocoa Coffee Cotton
16

17. www.fibl.org
570
268
738
1,530
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
Fairtrade Organic Rainforest Alliance/SAN UTZ
Thousandhectares
Cocoa: Development of the area by VSS 2008-2015
Source: Fairtrade International 2017; FiBL survey 2017; Rainforest Alliance/SAN 2016; UTZ 2016
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
17
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Hectares
Cocoa: Range of cocoa area (minimum/maximum/average) 2008-
2015
Source: FiBL-IISD-ITC survey 2017
Max Min Average
29.8%
23.0%
16.2%

18. www.fibl.org
Cocoa: Estimated global organic production and organic
share of total production 2015
Low and middle income countries
18
1.7%
18.1%
19.5%
20.3%
21.4%
27.8%
30.2%
31.9%
35.2%
100.0%
0% 50% 100%
Haiti
Peru
Bolivia
Sao Tome and Principe
Nicaragua
Mexico
Sierra Leone
Honduras
Madagascar
Dominican Republic
Share of total production volume
Countries with the highest organic
share of total production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017
1,900
1,950
2,550
3,100
3,300
4,800
6,850
7,500
14,750
100,000
0 50,000 100,000 150,000
Vanuatu
Congo, D. R.
Ecuador
Madagascar
Ghana
Sierra Leone
Tanzania
Mexico
Peru
Dom. Republic
Metric tons
Countries with the largest estimated
organic production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017

19. www.fibl.org
1,594
1,297
798
405
549
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
4C Fairtrade Organic Rainforest Alliance/SAN UTZ
Thousandhectares
Coffee: Development of the area by VSS 2008-2015
Source: 4C 2016; Fairtrade International 2017; FiBL survey 2017; Rainforest Alliance/SAN 2016; UTZ 2016
2008 2009 2010 2011
2012 2013 2014 2015
19
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Hectares
Coffee: Range of coffee area (minimum/maximum/average) 2008-2015
Source: FiBL-IISD-ITC survey 2017
Max Min Average
44.3%
34.5%
24.8%

20. www.fibl.org
Coffee: Estimated global organic production and organic
share of total production 2015
Low and middle income countries
20
1.7%
12.1%
14.3%
19.5%
22.8%
23.1%
34.9%
38.9%
40.0%
45.1%
0% 20% 40% 60%
Ecuador
Papua New…
Ethiopia
Congo, D. R.
Peru
Bolivia
Nepal
Mexico
Timor-Leste
Tanzania
Share of total production volume
Countries with the highest organic
share of total production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017
6,600
6,700
7,800
13,750
16,750
22,100
41,600
50,700
59,850
83,450
0 50,000 100,000
Bolivia
Papua New…
Uganda
Brazil
Honduras
Tanzania
Indonesia
Peru
Ethiopia
Mexico
Metric tons
Countries with the largest estimated
organic production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017

21. www.fibl.org
2,217
975
45
350
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
BCI CmiA Fairtrade Organic
Thousandhectares
Cotton: Development of the area by VSS 2008-2015
Source: Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) 2017; Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) 2016; Fairtrade International 2017; FiBL survey 2017
2008 2009 2010 2011
2012 2013 2014 2015
21
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
4,000,000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Hectares
Cotton: Range of coffee area (minimum/maximum/average) 2008-2014
Source: FiBL-IISD-ITC survey 2017
Max Min Average
10.3%
9.7%
9.1%

22. www.fibl.org
Cotton: Estimated global organic production and organic
share of total production 2015
Low and middle income countries
22
1.7%
0.4%
0.8%
0.9%
1.2%
1.7%
1.9%
2.6%
3.0%
24.3%
0% 10% 20% 30%
Ethiopia
Burkina Faso
Tajikistan
Turkey
India
Peru
Egypt
Tanzania
Uganda
Kyrgyzstan
Share of total production volume
Countries with the highest organic
share of total production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017
795
1,000
1,067
2,146
2,150
2,432
5,543
7,304
13,145
75,251
0 50,000 100,000
Uganda
Tajikistan
Burkina Faso
Tanzania
Egypt
USA
Kyrgyzstan
Turkey
China
India
Metric tons
Countries with the largest estimated
organic production volume 2015
Source: FiBL survey 2017

23. www.fibl.org
Conclusions
• Even though only 0.4 percent of the farmland in low and middle income
countries is organic, the FiBL data show, that in many countries organic
farming plays an increasingly important role, in particular for selected
commodities.
• Many high value crops are grown, reaching substantial organic shares and
considerable export values.
• In the light of booming organic markets, it can be assumed that the
market/export potential for organic products continues to be high.
• However, in order to be able to draw clear conclusions on the potential organic
farming has for exports and domestic markets, more and better data is
needed.
• Data such as economic and farm-level data, data on domestic supply and
retail sales of organic food, export volumes and information on yields will also
help to understand better the organic sector in these countries.
• With more and more countries implementing organic farming regulations, data
collection activities should be eased in the future.
23

24. www.fibl.org
Resources
• «The World of Organic Agriculture» at www.organic-
world.net
• Slides and infographics at www.organic-world.net
• Twitter.com/fiblstatistics
• Interactive maps at www.organic-world.net
• Interactive data tables at statistics.fibl.org
• Interactive map at www.ifoam-eu.org
24

25. www.fibl.org
Presentations at www.organic-world.net
25

26. www.fibl.org
Statistics.FiBL.org
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27. www.fibl.org
The State of Sustainable Markets 2017
Statistics and Emerging Trends
27
• Julia Lernoud, Jason Potts, Gregory
Sampson, Salvador Garibay, Matthew
Lynch, Vivek Voora, Helga Willer and
Joseph Wozniak (2017), The State of
Sustainable Markets – Statistics and
Emerging Trends 2017. ITC, Geneva.
• http://www.intracen.org/publication/The-
State-of-Sustainable-Markets-2017-
Statistics-and-Emerging-Trends/
• The 2018 edition of “The State of
Sustainable Markets” will be launched
at the 2018 ISEAL Conference, São
Paulo May 2018