New COG + Organic Task Force Report: Cultivating the Organic Opportunity for Canadian Farmers and Consumers
The report finds that investing in organic agriculture will boost farm profitability, meet rising demand for organic food, diversify trade, and deliver climate and biodiversity benefits for Canada. In fact, tripling organic acreage would increase farm net returns by $1.73 billion over the next 10 years.
In 2023, Canada’s organic market was valued at over $9 billion, up from $6.38 billion in 2019, making it the fifth largest in a growing global market. During this time, however, domestic organic production has not increased, contributing to rising imports and missed opportunities for Canadian farmers.
The report calls for public investment of $68.5 million annually to triple and strengthen organic agriculture in Canada, including to support existing organic farmers and to reduce barriers for others to transition to organic farming. With targeted investment, we can grow Canadian organic production to meet growing demand while advancing economic and environmental priorities.
This report is the result of collaboration with farmers, researchers, policy experts and many community partners.