Experiences with 9 years of global data collection

1. Experiences with 9 years of global data collection Helga Willer, FiBL, CH Presentation at the Workshop on global data collection at the IFOAM Organic World Congress, June 18, 2008, Modena, Italy Archived at http://orgprints.org/7256/

2. Programme • 6.30 - 6.35 pmIntroductionLukas Kilcher, FiBL. Frick, Switzerland • 6.35-6.40 pm Introduction: Experiences with 9 years of global data collectionHelga Willer, FiBL • 6.40-6.50 pmCollection of the African data: Experiences of the 2008 surveyHervé Bouagnimbeck, IFOAM • 6.50-7.00 pm Data based on information from operators: Opportunities and challenges Munshimbwe Chitalu, Organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia (OPPAZ), Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer • 7.00-7.10 pmData based on information from inspection bodies: Opportunities and challenges Anne Macey, Canadian Organic Growers • 7.10-7.20 pmOptions for increased cooperation with inspection/certification bodiesMichel Reynaud, Ecocert • Discussion

3. The World of Organic Agriculture 2000-2008

4. 2000: First survey by SOEL, Data from 40 countries: Land area and number of farms, share of total agricultural land, supported by BioFach (until today) • 2006: 117 countries, land use details, database built; Continual work on historical data and corrections • 2008: 135 countries: Large increase of countries because more data from Africa and from Oceania / Pacific Islands were made available, Support from SECO and ITC

5. Information currently available • Currently available • Totals by country and continent global • Shares by country • Farms • Land use by country • Crop information • www.organic-world.net

6. Global Organic Farming 2006 • 30.4 million hectares of agricultural land are managed organically • 12.3 million hectares are in Australia • Almost 30 % of the agricultural land in Liechtenstein are organic • During 2006: Growth in all continents

8. Development of organic farming in the continents 2000-2007 (2007:provisional, survey in progress)

9. Organic and in-conversion land area: The 10 leading countries Source: FiBL Survey, June 2008

11. Use of organic/in-conversion land world-wide 2006

13. Coffee

14. How do we collect the data • Originally all kinds of sources were used. • 2008: • Either experts from the country (government or private), or • official organic farming statistics (USDA, Eurostat) • If no country experts are available we try to get the data from the certifiers ourselves: But: we do not have an overview which certifiers are active in the country, so these are uncomplete data

15. Situation by continent: Africa • Most African countries do not have government support for data collection; exception: Tunisia and Ruanda • In some countries the private sector provides good data (e.g East African countries) • In many countries data availability remains a problem

16. Asia • In some countries the government collects and provides the data: India, China, Israel • In many countries data are collected by the private sector from the inspection bodies, often with good results: Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan • In many countries, data collection remains problematic

17. Europe • In most countries of the European Union the data are provided by the private sector or the governments and the data are regularly published on the web (land use, sometimes production, sometimes market data) • Additionally Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, publishes the land use & animal data at its homepage • In the countries outside the EU data are mostly provided by the private sector

18. South America • In most South American countries the data are now provided by the goverments: Land use, production, export values • In some countries data availability remains a problem, e.g. Venezuela

19. Central America and Caribbean • Data are often collected by private bodies, often in the framework of development cooperation projects; the problem is often the continuity of data supply/suppliers

20. North America • USA: Data collected by USDA, with good land use data. But: The data are released only every 2 years • Canada: Data collected by Canadian Organic Growers – not always easy

21. Oceania • Australia: Land area and farms available from Aquis, but no land use details • New Zealand, good on export volumes, land use details difficult • Pacific Islands: Area and operators available

22. Data availability by continent and data type

23. Classification of land use data • In 2006 land use / crop data were collected for the first time • At that time a classifcation system was developed according to the data received, inspired by the Eurostat classification and the FAO system • Major revision now in cooperation with the ZMP, German market data collection body • Important for international classification or any classification: Do not aggregate data but provide lowest possible level. • Outlook: Develop a classification system for processed foods/final products in order to process data on volumes and market values

24. Outlook • Improve cooperation and information exchange with data suppliers • Develop classification system further, particularly for processed/final products • Improve database, make data better accessible via the internet and other channels • Expand scope of data collected • Full organic – in conversion status • Production data, i.e. volumes • Exports / imports; volumes, values • Market values of crops