Few organic commodity producers did well recently, when markets nearly shut down from 2008 to 2010. However, markets are picking up again.
COTA has analyzed national Census of Agriculture data that show organic farmers earn more than non-organic farmers. The organic farming population is growing, while the non-organic farming population is in decline.
Organic operations on the Prairies have declined in recent years because of the recession, flooding, high land prices, an aging population and competing but unregulated claims such as “natural.”
Perhaps this will leave more opportunity for those who stay in.
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China’s grain imports have slumped big-time
China purchased just over 20 million tonnes of wheat, corn, barley and sorghum last year, that is well below the 60 million tonnes purchased in 2021-22.
Buyers are back in the marketplace, and commodity prices in general are higher.
The organic marketplace has become more regulated in Canada and in our trading partner nations. The federal government regulated the word “organic” in 2009 for all organic products crossing provincial or national borders.
The organic designation means that the product meets the standards and regulations, including all food safety requirements. Farms and processing facilities undergo annual third party inspections and audits.
Markets and the bottom line are vital to the sustainability of organic farms. Research is beginning to show that organic farms are also leaders in environmental sustainability.
Canadian researcher Derek Lynch has reviewed data and found that organic systems are consistently more energy efficient, whether it is per unit of land or per unit of production. Greenhouse gas emissions were lower for organic systems. Organic systems tend to increase soil carbon because of green manures and forages and despite tillage use. Organic farms also tend to have greater biodiversity, including plants, birds, pollinators and other insects.
Organic techniques offer leadership in the field of sustainability, but can they feed the world? It is true that there usually is a yield hit as producers transition to organics, but the yield differential between organic and non-organic is negligible on a global scale.
Also, extracting nitrogen from fossil fuel, as done in non-organic agriculture, is not a sustainable long-term solution to soil fertility.
As well, international organizations such as the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization recognize organic production as having the greatest potential to increase yields in developing countries. And to put this in proper context, hunger is a result of poverty. It is not primarily a production issue; it is primarily a social issue.
I cannot see how becoming part of the global industrial food complex contributes to food security for the world’s most vulnerable.
So what is the chief vulnerability of organics? Is it that people may find trace amounts of pesticides or GMOs in organic products as testing capabilities become more extreme? Some people seem to think so, but I think organic consumers are smarter than that. Choosing organic products remains the best option for reducing pesticide and GMO consumption.
Ten years ago, I felt the biggest risk to organics was GMOs. The Saskatchewan Organic Directorate’s Organic Agriculture Protection Fund was battling the GMO giants on behalf of organic producers to prevent introduction of genetically modified wheat and for compensation for damages caused by GM canola.
Today GMOs are still a major concern, with GMO alfalfa poised to inflict new damages.
What has changed, I think, is that consumers are asking for GM labelling. As well studies, such as the contentious one from Seralini et al, 2012, in Food and Chemical Toxicology, which suggested significant toxicity of Roundup Ready corn when fed to rats in long-term trials, are gaining traction.
So, have we come a long way? Organic food has become more mainstream, more regulated and more accessible. Is that a good thing?
Becoming mainstream is a mixed blessing and not entirely comfortable for some of us long-timers. However, it offers the opportunity of greater access to organic food and greater acceptance of organic techniques.
Research has shown that organic methods have significant environmental benefits to offer.
National data suggests that organic farming also has economic benefits.
Have we come a long way on the Prairies? We’ve recently come through some hard times here, and the impact of that is still playing out. However, I do see optimism returning.
After all, we’re used to cycles, and spring is just around the corner.
