Organic Production

The term organic production refers both to agricultural production systems employing organic farming methods and to the products resulting from those systems. Although it remains small as a percentage of total agricultural output, organic production is among the fastest growing agrifood sectors worldwide and among those receiving the most academic, public policy, and media attention. In recent decades, organic production has been increasingly subject to regulation, with market growth prompting and in turn being stimulated by legislation governing the commercial use of the term organic, creating a situation in which it is necessary to distinguish between certified and noncertified organic production. The sector’s rapid growth means that the availability of comprehensive, reliable data on organic production at the global and national levels is improving, but ...