Abstract
Organic agriculture has a rapidly growing consumer demand in the United States, and a rapidly developing support infrastructure, making it a premier technology in the efforts of many public and private organizations that advocate more sustainable farming practices. In October 2002, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented national organic standards on organic production and handling, following more than a decade of development, and over 90 state and private organizations have now been accredited by USDA to certify organic farmers, ranchers, distributors, processors and manufacturers. Although organic grain crop acreage is still under 0.5 percent of the U.S. total, the share is much higher for the fruit, vegetable, and dairy sectors. As the U.S. organic farm sector expands, university-based research and technical assistance and other State and federal support for organic farmers are also beginning to emerge.
Agricultural Economist in the Rural and Resource Economics Division of the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of USDA.
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Greene, C. (2007). An Overview of Organic Agriculture in the United States. In: Canavari, M., Olson, K.D. (eds) Organic Food. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39582-1_2
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