Rome, May 3, 2007 How Organic Agriculture Contributes to Food Availability Lukas Kilcher and Christine Zundel Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security, 3 – 5 May 2007 FAO, Rome Archived at

Rome, May 3, 2007 Production systems Market development Training and extension FiBL International Co-operation Certification, standards and policy

Rome, May 3, 2007 Food Availability Definition Food availability, access, stability and utilization = part of the multi-dimensional nature of food security “Availability” of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied through domestic production or inputs Methods Literature review Case studies

Rome, May 3, 2007 Dimensions of Food Availability 1.Productivity: The ultimate benchmark when comparing the performance of agricultural systems!? 2.Efficiency: Does organic agriculture use resources efficiently? 3.Adapted technologies: Make organic agriculture successful 4.Peri-urban agriculture: Supplying food to millions, while minimizing transportation 5.Markets: How OA makes diverse food available at household, community, national and international levels

Rome, May 3, 2007 Productivity: Questions OA = unique combination of low external input technology, environmental conservation and input/output efficiency Farmers are increasingly adopting OA as a method of improving productivity and sustainability. Are diverse OA systems more productive compared to simplified conventional systems? Can OA meet the world’s growing food needs?

Rome, May 3, 2007 Low input High input Yield Time Conversion 3-5 years after conversion Yield development after conversion

Rome, May 3, 2007 Productivity: Temperate & irrigated areas

Rome, May 3, 2007 Productivity: Arid and semi-arid areas Seed cotton yields

Rome, May 3, 2007 Productivity: Humid and per-humid areas

Rome, May 3, 2007 Productivity: Hills and mountains

Rome, May 3, 2007 Efficiency: Questions Productivity is only one aspect Resources are always limited  consider the capability to produce high output per unit of resources used Types of efficiency: natural resource efficiency (input-output relations) economic efficiency (cost-benefit relation) Does organic agriculture use resources efficiently? Does organic agriculture provide the expected benefits for the consumers?

Rome, May 3, 2007 Efficiency: input/ouput & cost/benefit

Rome, May 3, 2007 Markets and trade: Questions Supply: 31 mio ha, farms = 0.7 % land plus wild collection and non-certified organic production Demand: organic sales €30 billion in 2006; concentrated in wealthy economies Developing countries: availability for certified organic food is weak, lack of awareness and lack of means to pay extra for organic foods How can producers generate higher incomes? How can OA make diverse food available at house- hold, community, national and international levels?

Rome, May 3, 2007 Markets: Household and community level

Rome, May 3, 2007 Markets: National level

Rome, May 3, 2007 Markets: International level

Rome, May 3, 2007 Conclusions 1.Real beneficiaries of OA: farmers and ecosystem 2.Intelligent management needs fewer inputs 3.Developing countries: OA offers employment opportunities and production costs are lower 4.Market opportunities benefit farmers financially and socially from OA 5.OA contributes to self-reliance of local food systems and thus to food availability 6.OA improves viability of rural economies, increases food self-sufficiency and national food supply

Rome, May 3, OA-impact on food availability is still limited 2.Production: build-up of organic matter in the soil 3.Difficult access to information about OA practices for farmers in developing countries 4.Domestic markets develop slowly in developing countries 5.Multiply OA impact on food availability through public and private sector investments on all levels: research & development training & extension markets, certification and & policy Challenges and recommendations

Rome, May 3, 2007 Long Term Farming Systems Comparisons in the Tropics Bolivia Kenya India - Humid - Agroforestry systems - Coffee, cacao, fruits - Sub-humid - Arable food crops - Maize, beans, vegetables - Semi-arid - Export crop - Cotton

Rome, May 3, 2007 Thank you for your attention Lukas Kilcher Head of the International Co-operation Division Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Ackerstrasse CH-5070 Frick