DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FARMING IN THE USA

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to present the development of organic farming in the USA. The development of organic farming is closely linked to the sustainable theory development with economic, social and environmental goals. The aim of organic farming is to produce using a sustainable balance of natural resources. Equally important is production based on organic methods that do not use chemical fertilizers. Authors used the descriptive methods to analyze collected material. Authors have analyzed data from 2000 to 2010, mainly USDA data to analyze the state and development processes of organic farming in the USA. The collected data shows that organic farming is dynamically expanding in the US. The number of organic farms increased in the years 1992-2008 nearly 361%, but it decreased 29.4% in the years 2008-2011. Particularly big changes occurred in certified organic acreages for milk cows (1,936%), pastures (438%), and fruits (250%) in the years 2008-2011. Moreover, the percentage of organic food in the total food market increased from 1.6% in 2000 to 4% in 2010. The data proved that organic produce accounted for 37% of US organic food sales in 2008. US is a big exporter of organic commodities with the highest percentage in 2011 for lettuce, apples and grapes. However the imports exceeds exports. The analysis of collected material proved growing demand for organic products of American society. However, the price of organic products is still high and the increase of organic food production may drop the prices.