After a decade of continued growth, organic farms still remain on the rise, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Organic food is one of the fasting growing segments of American agriculture,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “The increasing number of organic operations shows that USDA’s strong support for the vibrant organic sector is helping to create jobs and opportunities in rural communities.”
According to a report by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), there are about 22,000 certified organic farms in the U.S. and more than 31,000 worldwide. The number of organic farms in the U.S increased by 12 percent between 2014 and 2015, the highest growth rate since 2008.
The total retail market for organic products is worth $39 million in the U.S. and $75 billion worldwide, according to the USDA.
“USDA’s numbers support what we have been hearing anecdotally across the country: Organic certifiers are getting more calls from farmers who want to go organic,” Laura Batcha, CEO of the Organic Trade Association, told Agri-Pulse.
The USDA has established several programs to support organic farmers with their operations, helping to make organic certification more accessible and affordable.
The USDA has also established tools for organic operations made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, such as the Organic Integrity Database. The database provides up to date information for organic certifiers to report changes to existing operations at any time and to add new operations.
For more information, visit www.usda.gov/organic.