Global economic valuation of organic agriculture

Organic agriculture offers well-established environmental and social benefits, yet its global economic value remains unquantified. We estimated the value of organic crop production from 2005 to 2022 across 63 crops and 153 countries using data on organic area, meta-analytic yield estimates, and trade-derived prices, with uncertainty quantified through Monte Carlo simulations. Global organic crop value increased from US$5.5 billion in 2005 to US$42.3 billion in 2022, representing 1.43% of the combined organic and conventional production value. Organic prices averaged 37% above conventional prices, offsetting a 20% yield gap and resulting in 9% higher per-hectare value—reaching 39% for spices and stimulants and 22% for pulses. By 2022, Europe and China accounted for nearly three-quarters of global production value, while the United States represented only 5% despite consuming over 40%. These findings reveal both rapid economic growth, 13% annually, and persistent regional disparities, underscoring the need for targeted investments to expand organic farming's feasibility and profitability worldwide.