The certified organic market has seen a great increase over the past few years, reaching US$63 billion, compared to US$48 billion in 2016. The land used for growing organic crops has also massively increased, almost doubling between 2016 and 2022, according to Nate Powell-Palm, owner of Cold Spring Organics.
The rapid expansion reflects consumer’s want for traceability of products. Every organic product found in grocery stores can be traced back to the field where its ingredients were grown, which is a benefit consumers will pay more for. Another component that entices farmers and consumers are the climate benefits that organic offers, as studies have shown that organic soil can sequester more carbon and has a better water holding capacity.
Organic farming reaps many benefits, yet some people who support conventional farming believe that the cons outweigh the pros. For example, a meta-analysis that inspected 164 scientific papers showed that modern conventional farming uses less land for the same value of crops, while organic crops fall 10 to 35 per cent lower on a yield per-acre basis than their counterpart, according to the Genetic Literacy Project.
For conventional farming, pest and disease resistance, faster growth and larger seeds are a few of the highlights that draw farmers away from organic.
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