Organic Agriculture

Organic agriculture is one of the sustainable agriculture production management systems that promote and enhance agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.

It is a safe, sustainable farming system, producing healthy crops without damage to the environment. It avoids the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides on the land, relying instead on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.

Overview and FAO contribution

Organic agriculture is practiced in 187 countries, and 72.3 million hectares of agricultural land are managed organically by at least 3.1 million farmers. The global sales of organic food and drink reached more than EUR 106 billion in 2019.

FAO’s new vision in the world – where food and agriculture, people’s livelihoods and well-being and the preservation of natural resources cannot be addressed in isolation – is to optimize four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. Sustainable agriculture and food systems and healthy ecosystems ensure the resilience and well-being of both rural and urban populations.

FAO predicts that a broad-scale shift to organic agriculture can produce enough food on a global per capita basis to feed the world’s population over the next 50 years. FAO collaborates and builds partnerships with interested institutions – including national organic programmes and associations, non-governmental organizations, and national and international research centres – to provide assistance to Member Countries, upon their request, in areas that include the following: