TY - JOUR
T1 - On-farm land management strategies and production challenges in United States organic agricultural systems
AU - Mpanga, Isaac Kwadwo
AU - Tronstad, Russell
AU - Guo, Jessica
AU - LeBauer, David Shaner
AU - Idowu, Omololu John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - The need to reduce the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment and the consumer demands for food produced without synthetic chemical inputs have led to organic agriculture production systems. The United States (US) commands about half of the market share of organic products worldwide and is home to half of the world's organic farmers, but limited information is available on trends of on-farm land-use practices and challenges in organic crop production systems. This study utilizes the agricultural production surveys from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2008 to 2019 to investigate state and national trends in organic farm area, number, and sales, and to evaluate national trends in on-farm land-use practices and challenges facing US organic production. From 2008 to 2019, the number of certified organic farms, land area, and sales increased by 5, 6, and 12%, respectively. The use of green and animal manures is the most common land-use practice in certified organic crop production systems. The number of farms using the on-farm organic practices remained the same or increased steadly except organic mulch/compost which declined. However, all the practices declined proportionally, except rotational grazing which recorded an increase in 2019. The most significant primary challenges faced by certified organic farmers are related to regulations of organic practices and production costs which worsen over time. United States certified organic production has the potential for expansion in terms of farm numbers, land area, markets, and increased adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. However, for this to occur, efforts involving farm-level research and policy reviews with direct farmer involvement are needed to address these primary challenges facing organic farmers.
AB - The need to reduce the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment and the consumer demands for food produced without synthetic chemical inputs have led to organic agriculture production systems. The United States (US) commands about half of the market share of organic products worldwide and is home to half of the world's organic farmers, but limited information is available on trends of on-farm land-use practices and challenges in organic crop production systems. This study utilizes the agricultural production surveys from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2008 to 2019 to investigate state and national trends in organic farm area, number, and sales, and to evaluate national trends in on-farm land-use practices and challenges facing US organic production. From 2008 to 2019, the number of certified organic farms, land area, and sales increased by 5, 6, and 12%, respectively. The use of green and animal manures is the most common land-use practice in certified organic crop production systems. The number of farms using the on-farm organic practices remained the same or increased steadly except organic mulch/compost which declined. However, all the practices declined proportionally, except rotational grazing which recorded an increase in 2019. The most significant primary challenges faced by certified organic farmers are related to regulations of organic practices and production costs which worsen over time. United States certified organic production has the potential for expansion in terms of farm numbers, land area, markets, and increased adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. However, for this to occur, efforts involving farm-level research and policy reviews with direct farmer involvement are needed to address these primary challenges facing organic farmers.
KW - Organic agriculture
KW - Regenerative agricultural practices
KW - Soil health
KW - Sustainable agriculture
KW - United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124387871&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85124387871&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.crsust.2021.100097
DO - 10.1016/j.crsust.2021.100097
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85124387871
SN - 2666-0490
VL - 3
JO - Current Research in Environmental Sustainability
JF - Current Research in Environmental Sustainability
M1 - 100097
ER -