UNEP-UNCTAD Launch First-Ever Online Course in Organic Production

Geneva, 2 November 2009 - Last year trade in organic food and drinks crossed the US$50 billion a year mark and, despite the economic slowdown and financial crisis, the percentage of market growth in the food sector for organic products is the highest. Similarly, the market for organic cotton, which was only US$241 million in 2001, crossed the US$5 billion mark in 2008. Demand for organic wild harvested products, and cosmetics made from organic ingredients is also growing exponentially. Organic is as popular as ever.

To meet this growing interest in organic products worldwide, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) launched the first online training course on organic production and export. Operating under the auspices of the UNEP-UNCTAD Capacity Building Task Force on Trade, Environment and Development (CBTF), the course has received over 600 applications from 80 countries and territories.

Organic products command high price premiums, resulting in higher incomes for farmers and others in the supply chain. For example, in Uganda farmers earn up to 180 percent more for organically produced ginger, compared with conventionally produced ginger.

On the environmental side, organic and biodynamic farming uses 20 to 56 percent less energy per produced unit of crop dry matter and emits 48 to 60 percent less CO2 per hectare compared to conventional farms. The carbon sequestration efficiency of organic systems in temperate climates is almost double that of conventional methods.

In welcoming the course participants Mr. Hussein Abaza, Chief of the UNEP Economics and Trade Branch, highlighted the fact that that increasing demand for organic products has outpaced supply in recent years, but many individuals and institutions, especially in developing countries and economies in transition, have not been able to seize the business development and wealth creation opportunities offered by this growing segment of the market. Various barriers stand in the way, he added, most significantly a lack of knowledge and understanding about the requirements and standards for production and export.

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