Organic Farmers and Where to Find Them
The first global overview of organic farmer distribution
09/04/2019 | 5:13 PM
This month, ACWFS researchers Ziga Malek and Peter Verburg, together with Koen F. Tieskens of Boston University published the paper Explaining the global spatial distribution of organic crop producers in Agricultural Systems. This study by researchers from the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), the ACWFS, and The School of Public Health from Boston University is the first global overview of organic farmer distribution. The study identified how factors such as local socio-economic, soil, and climate characteristics influenced the organic farmers’ location through advanced spatial statistics. The study found that organic farmers are more likely to be found in areas with more favourable socio-economic (better market access, less poverty) and climate (more rainfall, more temperate temperatures) conditions. Additionally, the study showed that (in the example of Peru), cooperatives might help farmers in less favourable conditions to certify their operations. Check out the article here.