This document provides an overview of organic farming in North America. It discusses the origins and definitions of organic agriculture, the development of national organic standards in the US and Canada, organic certification processes, and statistics on organic farming acreage and sales in North America and globally. It also outlines the role of organizations like OCIA, OTA, NOSB, and NOP in regulating and promoting the organic industry.

1. Brief Introduction to
Organic Farming in North America
OCIA
EUROPE
Shanghai, 8 April 2006 Regional Office

2. What is organic agriculture?
"Organic agriculture is an ecological
production management system that
promotes and enhances biodiversity,
biological cycles and soil biological
activity. It is based on minimal use of
off-farm inputs and on management
practices that restore, maintain and
enhance ecological harmony.
Source: NOSB - National Organic Standards Board, 1995

3. Organic agriculture standards
Organic food handlers, processors
and retailers adhere to standards
that maintain the integrity of
organic agricultural products.
The primary goal of organic
agriculture is to optimize the health
and productivity of interdependent
communities of soil life, plants,
animals and people."
Source: NOSB - National Organic Standards Board, 1995

4. Origins of organic agriculture
Sir Albert Howard……...1900
Rudolf Steiner
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer
George Ohsawa………….1929
Shagen Ishizuka
Jerome I.Rodale………….1946
Rachel Carson………………1962
Precursors

5. Organic hectares worldwide
Organic

6. Percentage of area under organic
management worldwide

7. Area under organic
management by country
889,048 Hectares
Source: FiBL- Survey 2005/2006

8. Number of acres used to raise
certified organic products

9. Number of farms raising organically
produced products

10. Certified organic acreage and
operations

11. Certified organic facilities
/ 2004

12. Organic Certification in the US
•• ORGANIC GROWING AND PROCESSING
methods for products sold in the United States are
regulated by national organic standards, fully
implemented since October 2002.
•• In Canada, national standards currently
are voluntary, although work is under
way for a mandatory regulation.
•• Third-party certification of organic farms
guarantees that any product that is labeled as
"organic" in the United States meets or exceeds
the basic criteria.
Source: Organic Trade Association

13. Organic Certification in the US
BASIC CRITERIA:
•• No prohibited substances have been used on the
land for at least three years.
•• Detailed records have been kept of the methods
and materials used in production.
•• All methods and materials have been inspected
annually by a third-party certifier accredited by the
USDA - U.S. Department of Agriculture.
•• All farmers and processors have maintained
written Organic Plans detailing their management
practices.

14. Basic steps of organic certification
(farm)
Research & Prepare
Application
p
Inspection
• Determine where markets will be
• Compare organic certification agencies (service and market access)
• Present 3 years of field histories
• Fulfill questionnaires
• Show accurate field maps
• Appropriate fees
• Annual
• Must allow access to the inspector to all organic and non-organic
portions of the operation
• Documents and operation will be reviewed
• Can be a learning tool for the farmer
Final review
and decision
•• Field (s) must be free of prohibited inputs for 36 months
• Seeds must be organic or at the very least non-GMO
r
• Check for any problem areas
• Prepares applicants for inspections
• Saves operations time and money on
their inspections
Pre-Inspection Review
•• Inspection report & other documents are sent for review
•• Decision is made
•• Certificate and recommendations or requirements issued
•• Applicants are certified until they surrender or are suspended
•• Must reapply annually
n
o
q

15. NOP - National Organic Program

16. A retrospective of the NOP Rule
1984 1985 1986
The Organic
Foods
Production
Association of
North America
(OFPANA) was
formed.
OFPANA guidelines start
and the organization's
certification mark is
registered with the U.S.
Federal Commission of
Patents and Trademarks.
OFPANA membership
approves the first
publication of
Guidelines for the
Organic Food Industry
and the OFPANA
certification mark. Also
becomes an advisor to
Americans for Safe
Food, a project of the
Center for Science in
the Public Interest to
develop the concept of
a national organic law.
TIME LINE
OFPANA
Organic Foods Production
Association of North America
Source: Organic Trade Association

17. A retrospective of the NOP Rule
1987 1988 1989
An Ethical Review
Panel is
established to act
as an industry
arbitrator in
business disputes.
OFPANA sets up
committees and
task forces to
cover packaging
labeling and
agricultural inputs.
The ““Organic Food
Industry Information
Service”” is created.
OFPANA becomes a member
of the International Federation
of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM).
OFPANA Accreditattion of
Certification Programs position
paper is accepted as the
foundation for the OFPANA
certification mark program.
OFPANA convenes a Task
Force on Legislation Issues.
Source: Organic Trade Association
TIME LINE

18. A retrospective of the NOP Rule
1990 1991 1992
OFPANA new mission
statement making the
organization a trade
association is ratified.
Congress passes the
Organic Foods Production
ACT (OFPA) as part of the
1990 Farm Bill and forms a
task force to recommend
candidates for the National
Organic Standards Board
(NOSB).
OFPANA
Legislative
Council begins
to lobby in
Washington
D.C. for
appropiations
to implement
the Organic
Foods
Production Act.
OFPANA presents the
NOSB with drafts of
industry standards on crop
production, material lists,
livestock standards and
accredittation concepts.
Other draft guidelines are
also presented to cover
organic manufacturing in all
food categories.
Source: Organic Trade Association
TIME LINE

19. A retrospective of the NOP Rule
1994 1995 1997
TIME LINE
OFPANA retains
consultant to represent
the association in
Washington D.C. on
legislative and regulatory
issues.
OFPANA Board votes to
change the
organization's name to
the Organic Trade
Association (OTA).
NOSB completes its
recommendations
and program details
required for
implementing the
Organic Foods
Production Act
(OFPA) of 1990,
and approves a
definition of organic.
US Department of
Agriculture (USDA)
publishes its long
awaited proposed
national organic
program rule, but the
proposed regulation
includes provisions for
genetically engineered
organisms, irradiation
and bio solids.
The industry is
Source: Organic Trade Association outraged.

20. A retrospective of the NOP Rule
1998 1999 2000
TIME LINE
OTA joins forces with
partners to create the
““Keep Organic Organic””
campaign that takes
USDA to task on its
proposed rule. The
campaign generates the
largest number of
consumer comments
USDA has ever received
on a proposed rule.
OTA adopts the
American Organic
Standards as
guidelines for the
organic industry.
USDA finally
publishes the National
Organic Program rule
on December 21.
Source: Organic Trade Association

21. NOP and NOSB
•• NOP has the responsibility of implementing the
organic standards.
•• NOP’’s role is to accredit state agencies and private
organizations that will certify organic producers and
handlers, and to oversee enforcement of the standards.
•• NOSB based its recommendations on industry consensus
during every step of its decision-making process.
•• NOSB consists of four farmers, two handlers/processors,
one retailer, one scientist, three consumer/public-interest
advocates, three environmentalists, and a certifying agent.
•• USDA appoints NOSB members and serves as an
advisory board to the USDA.
Source: Organic Trade Association

22. The USDA Organic seal
•All agricultural products labeled "organic"
must be in compliance with U. S. organic law.
•The word "organic" on U. S. products means
that the ingredients and production methods
have been verified by an accredited
certification agency as meeting or exceeding
USDA standards for organic production.
•Consumers have the assurance that products
labeled "organic" have been produced in
compliance with the standards set by USDA.
Photo: David Sparer / My Organic Market

23. The NOP Rule
•• Prohibit the use of irradiation, sewage
sludge, or genetically modified organisms
(GMO) in organic production.
•• Reflect NOSB recommendations
concerning items on the national list of
allowed synthetic and prohibited natural
substances.
•• Prohibit antibiotics in organic meat and
poultry; and require 100% organic feed for
organic livestock.

24. GMO in the world in 2003

25. GMO in the world in 2004

26. United States organic imports
•• Although the United States is a very important producer of
organic products and also produces quite a broad range of
organic food and beverages, the country is far from self-sufficient
in this area and needs to import significant
quantities from all over the world to meet the requirements of
a rapidly growing market.
•• Shortage of organic products is making producers look
outbound for raw materials, increasing volume of organic
fruit, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, and herbs that are
being imported into the US.
•• Finished products are also imported to meet consumer
demand for all things organic.
Source: International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO

27. United States organic imports
•• tropical products (mostly), that are not produced
in the United States (or only in small quantities; examples
include coffee, cocoa and tea, most tropical fruit and
vegetables (both in fresh and processed form, e.g. fruit
juices, concentrates and pulp), various spices and herbs,
dried fruit and nuts; suppliers are producers in developing
countries.
•• off-season products, such as fresh fruit and
vegetables, that are produced in the United States, but
where there is an unmet demand during certain periods of
the year, potential suppliers will mostly be producers in
developing countries.
Source: International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO

28. United States organic imports
•• in-season products, e.g. fruit and vegetables, for
which there is a temporary or more permanent shortage
because of strong and increasing demand; suppliers may
include producers in both developed and developing
countries.
•• novelty or specialty products, like high quality
organic wines, certain ethnic food products or certain retail-packed
food products; this segment is currently of
increasing interest to European food exporters, though
some developing countries might also profit from such
opportunities, e.g. wine exporters in Argentina, Chile and
South Africa.
Source: International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO

29. United States organic imports
• It is estimated that over
US $1.5 billion of organic
products are imported into
the U.S. compared to
about US $150 million in
American exports.
Source: Organic Monitor
and exports value

30. Agricultural products imported to the U.S.
•• Cotton, unmanufactured
•• Seeds
•• Nursery stock and cut flowers
•• Sugar, cane or beet
•• Oilseeds and products
•• Oilseeds
•• Protein meal
•• Vegetable oils
•• Beverages excl. fruit juices
•• Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices
•• Coffee, incl. products
•• Cocoa beans and products
Source: USDA
•• Animals, live
•• Meats and preps., excl. poultry
•• Beef and veal
•• Pork
•• Dairy products
•• Poultry and products
•• Fats, oils, and greases
•• Hides and skins, incl. fur skins
•• Wool, unmanufactured
•• Grains and feeds
•• Fruits, nuts, and preps., excl. juices
•• Bananas and plantains
•• Fruit juices
•• Vegetables and preps.
•• Tobacco, unmanufactured
•• Rubber and allied gums

31. Agricultural products exported from the US
•• Fruits, nuts, and preps.
•• Fruit juices incl. frozen
•• Vegetables and preps.
•• Tobacco, un manufactured
•• Oilseeds and products
•• Cotton, excl. linters
•• Sugar, cane or beet
•• Seeds
•• Oilseeds
•• Soybeans
•• Protein meal
•• Vegetable oils
Source: USDA
•• Animals live
•• Red Meats and preps.
•• Dairy products
•• Poultry meats
•• Fats, oils, and greases
•• Hides and skins
•• Cattle hides, whole
•• Mink pelts
•• Grains and feeds
•• Wheat
•• Wheat flour
•• Rice
•• Feed grains
•• Feeds and fodders
•• Other grain products
•• Essential oils

32. Source: USDA/ERS 2004
Major markets for U.S.
agricultural exports

33. Organic food sales
Supermarkets and grocery
stores, mass merchandisers,
and club stores
44%
Independent natural product and
health food stores and natural
grocery chains
47%
Direct sales through farmers’’
markets, co-ops, foodservice
operations and exports
9% Source: OTA, 2003 survey

34. Organic diversification
• In addition to fruits,
vegetables, grains, seeds,
meat, eggs, dairy items,
and baby foods, it’s
possible to buy organic
pasta sauces, salsa, fruit
juice, soup, cereal, ice
cream, peanut butter, tea,
coffee, frozen dinners,
chocolate, popcorn, snack
food, beer and other
beverages, …..to name just
a few options available!

35. OCIA, a World of Opportunity !!!

36. www.ocia.org

37. Thank you 谢谢