Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

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Certified Organic Export Production – Implications for Economic Welfare and Gender Equity amongst Smallholder Farmers in Tropical Africa
(UNCTAD, 2007) Bolwig, Simon; Gibbon, Peter; Odeke, Moses; Taylor, Alastair
Over the last fifteen years the market for certified organic agricultural products has grown from a very low base to reach 1.5-2.5% of total food sales both in North America and the EU, up to 5% in Denmark and Switzerland (Willer & Yussefi, 2006; Oberholtzer et al., 2005; CBI 2005; Financial Times, 2006). Global organic sales were estimated at US$ 33 billion in 2005, compared to US$ 23 billion in 2002 (Willer & Yussefi, 2007), representing an increase of 43% or about 14% per year. Most of this growth has been satisfied by increases in the area under certified organic production in North America and EU itself. Yet there has been also an increase in certified organic imports into both regions. In the case of the EU these mainly comprise cereals and oilseeds from temperate and semi-temperate countries, but they also include fruit and vegetables (from a much wider range of countries) and tropical beverages.