Organic sales have increased by 31% and the number of organic farms has increased by 17% between 2008 and 2019, according to information provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Organic fresh fruits and vegetables dominate the sector in US production of this category, as well as international trade and consumer purchases.

Against this backdrop, organic scientists, economists, and experts discussed the latest statistics, challenges, and priorities for this category at the 97th Annual USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, with the theme "Building on Innovation: A Path to Resilience." .

The Organic Outlook session, featured three speakers and at least 192 attendees, and was held on February 19. During the conference, the experts highlighted that organic products are the fastest growing food category in the United States; while the COVID-19 pandemic has generated significant impacts in the sector, as consumers drastically changed some of their consumption and purchasing patterns, and supply chains were challenged.

Organic vegetables have performed better than fruits at the retail level, reaching $ 16 billion in sales in 2019, said Andrea Carlson, an economist in the food economics division of the USDA Economic Research Service.

International trade plays a key role in organic products, Carlson pointed out, adding that more and more adherents are being added among consumers of various characteristics. “We found that organic consumers span all income, education, age, race and ethnicity,” he said, adding that “however, younger shoppers are more represented than older shoppers, and we also found that households with young children are most represented in organic consumers ”.

Invest in innovation to continue driving the category

Strong investments in research and innovation are critical to competing with the rest of the world, meeting domestic demand and solving many problems along the organic supply chain, said Mathieu Ngouajio, national scientific liaison for plant systems at the Institute. National Food and Agriculture.

Ngouajio has served from 2013 to 2019 at the Institute for Food Production and Sustainability, where he has administered competitive grant programs including Organic Transitions, the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, and the Food and Agriculture Research Initiative.

Two USDA programs have helped fill the gaps in funding for research and innovation, the practitioner noted: the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions (ORG).

"We see that small and medium entities are more involved in the organic," said Ngouajio, adding that "more importantly, we are seeing more projects coming from the southern region of the country."

OREI is trying to secure funding at a level of $ 50 million per year, he noted, to address several critical issues:

• Promote research and innovation;
• Explore new extension opportunities, bringing that knowledge to farmers;
• Train the new generation of organic farmers and leaders;
• Develop smart tools for use by farmers and processors, such as seeds and natural substances for disease management;
• Develop tools to enforce organic integrity to reduce fraud;
• Better understand the human dimension of organic agriculture to expand the market; Y
• Make sure that knowledge is not only available, but also accessible to all farmers.
  Supply chain

Supply chain

For her part, Laura Batcha, Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association, analyzed the patterns of the organic supply chain and the expectations of consumers.

California produces about 36% of the specialty crops in the US, and organic makes up 10% of that acreage in production, he said.

One of the sectors that is not captured in these data is related to organic products produced and sold in farmers' markets and local markets of smaller farms, Batcha added, so this is a point to consider to have a better visualization of the sector.

Meanwhile, the professional indicated that some of the most important challenges in the market for small and medium-sized operators are related to the costs associated with switching from foodservice to retail.

Workers: Availability and Social Justice

Even before the pandemic, the association identified workplace safety and access to a consistent workforce as key priorities, Batcha said, adopting a policy related to immigration reform that provided a path to citizenship.

“The organic industry is very committed to this effort, as well as advocates across the country, in terms of really drawing attention to the need to emphasize the workforce and respond to what we have seen as vulnerability as a result of the pandemic. of COVID. ”He added.

"While the organic industry has the benefit of not exposing the workforce to harmful pesticides and synthetic chemicals during cultivation and harvest, we recognize that this is not enough," he explained.

He added that another area of ​​importance that was viewed most strongly in 2020 was an increased awareness of social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion within the agricultural and food system, and how systemic racism is attributed to it, historically and still. today, in food production.

“So, I think that social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is an expectation that consumers have of the companies they do business with and that produce the food they eat. That, I think, is here to stay, ”said Batcha. "We are going to see that the organic market responds to that next year."