Organic farming is an expanding form of agriculture that combines the best environmental practices with a high degree of biodiversity and the conservation of natural resources. It aims to produce in line with the preferences of certain consumers for products derived from natural processes.
The European Union has set various standards to promote organic farming. In effect, the EU has set a goal to organically manage 25% of its agricultural land by 2030.
The latest data on organic farming, published by the Research Institutes for Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and IFOAM-Organics International in the 24th edition of "The World of Organic Farming", show that in 2021, 17.8 million hectares of agricultural land in Europe are being farmed organically (EU: 15.6 million hectares). With 2.6 million hectares and around 40,000 enterprises consisting of producers, processors, and marketers, Spain ranks second after France, with nearly 2.8 million hectares.
Significant data is provided by the region of Andalusia, which has become a benchmark for organic agricultural production. According to the statistical balance of Andalusia 2022, this autonomous community in southern Europe has more than 1.3 million hectares of organically managed land, which corresponds to 48.92% of the countrywide area used for organic farming.
The latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development of the Andalusian Regional Government (2022) show that Almeria with a total of 4,922 hectares (of which almost 90% are winter crops, at 4,382 hectares) is the leading province regarding organic vegetable cultivation (37.8%), with a further 1,748 hectares in Granada. More than half of Andalusia's organic horticultural area is located between the two southern European provinces of Almeria and Granada. Last year, 27.4% of Andalusian agricultural land was farmed organically (of which 86% with solar greenhouses), a figure that exceeds the target set by the European Commission.
Both the organic farming area and retail sales continue to increase worldwide, as data from 191 countries show. If the demand for organic products in Europe continues at this pace, the southern European greenhouses are expected to double their production in the next five years. The reason for this is that the future European regulations on organic farming only cover soil cultivation, which in this area is the agricultural system, a significant advantage over competing countries that grow on hydroponic substrate.
Globally, European countries have the largest share of organic food sales, measured by their respective food market. Denmark had the highest share of global organic food sales at 13 percent in 2020, followed by Austria with 11.3 percent and Switzerland with 10.3 percent, according to the same study by FiBL and IFOAM-Organics International.
The 'It's from a greenhouse' campaign
Spanish fruit and vegetable industry association HORTIESPAÑA has launched the 'It's from a greenhouse' program, a campaign to promote the benefits of horticulture using solar greenhouses in southern Spain, the most important region for sustainable fruit and vegetable cultivation in Europe.
The initiative, which is expected to run for three years (until February 2026) in Spain and Germany, has a total investment of 2 million Euros and is co-financed by HORTIESPAÑA and the European Union as part of the promotion of agricultural and food products "Enjoy, It's from Europe".
For more information:
www.ausdemgewachshaus.de