The number of organic farms in Germany is increasing. But the federal government’s expansion goal is still a long way off. Are consumers following suit?
The expansion of organic agriculture in Germany is still a long way from the federal government’s goal for 2030. By then, 30 percent of agricultural land should be farmed organically – this is what the “Organic Strategy 2030” envisages. In 2023, however, the proportion was only 11.2 percent, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Wednesday.
Compared to 2020, the proportion increased only moderately; at that time the rate was 9.6 percent. A total of 1.85 million hectares were used ecologically last year (plus 16 percent). The most organic areas were in Bavaria with 423,000 hectares, followed by Brandenburg with 228,400 hectares and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 199,700 hectares. The number of organic businesses also increased by a good 10 percent to around 28,700. This means that more than one in ten agricultural businesses (11 percent) now rely on organic farming.
The demand for organic food is recovering
But is that enough to reach the target of 30 percent by 2030? The requirement is “clearly ambitious,” wrote Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) himself in the foreword to the strategy. Nevertheless, the change could be worthwhile for both society and the companies: “30 percent organic is a great opportunity for future-proof companies, the environment and the climate.” For example, organic farming halves the emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases in crop production based on area.
Going from 11 percent to 30 percent within seven years is “very ambitious from today’s perspective,” says the Secretary General of the German Farmers’ Association, Bernhard Krüsken. “It won’t work without a change in consumer shopping behavior.” In other words: organic products have to sell better than before.
Given the high inflation in 2022, many people had lost their desire for organic food, which was usually more expensive. But the Federation of Organic Food Industry (BÖLW) now sees a trend reversal. “The demand for organic food is recovering,” says BÖLW board member Peter Röhrig. As early as the second half of 2023, all sales areas from specialist retailers to drugstores and supermarkets to discounters reported an increase in sales of organic food. “We believe this trend will continue.” The farmers’ association also assumes that the demand for organic products will return to the long-term upward trend.
Lower Saxony is lagging behind
Organic food is also a “brake on inflation,” says Röhrig from BÖLW. While the inflation rate for organic foods was around five percent in 2023, it was around nine percent for conventional foods. The association does not have any monthly figures, but there is no indication that developments have been fundamentally different in the past few weeks.
In Lower Saxony, one of the most important agricultural countries, a milestone for organic expansion has almost been written off. Politicians, the industry and conservationists had actually agreed that ten percent of agricultural businesses should work according to organic standards by 2025, before an area share of 15 percent is targeted for 2030. However, it is questionable whether the intermediate step will be successful: at the end of 2022, only seven percent of the approximately 2,600 agricultural businesses in Lower Saxony were working organically. The organic share of agricultural land was six percent.
The mood in the organic sector is slightly positive again after the setback, said the country’s Agriculture Minister, Miriam Staudte (Greens). “Nevertheless, it appears difficult to achieve the target set for 2025.”
Source: Stern
