The organic land area used for olive cultivation across the world has almost tripled since 2004.
Agricultural land used for olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion has been steadily increasĀing each year and has almost tripled in area since 2004, accordĀing to an annual surĀvey of global organic agriĀculĀture.
The twenĀtiĀeth ediĀtion of the World of Organic Agriculture report proĀvided a detailed overview of the state of organic agriĀculĀture across the world.
Using data from 181 counĀtries, the surĀvey revealed that 2017 (the last year for which data was availĀable) was a record year for global organic agriĀculĀture.
See Also:Organic Olive Oil NewsNot only has the area of organic farmĀland increased across the world, so has the numĀber of organic proĀducĀers, while the organic retail marĀket conĀtinĀues to grow in size.
Agricultural land dedĀiĀcated to organic proĀducĀtion now covĀers about 173 milĀlion acres of the earthās farmĀland and is culĀtiĀvated by 2.9 milĀlion farmĀers. The amount of organic proĀduce sold worldĀwide repĀreĀsented a total value of $97 bilĀlion in 2017.
The surĀvey also proĀvides insights into which crops are culĀtiĀvated on organic agriĀculĀtural land. Nearly 2.2 milĀlion acres of the worldās organic farmĀland was used for olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion in 2017. This has increased almost threeĀfold from 778,000āÆacres in 2004, when data on how cropĀland is used was first colĀlected.
Twenty perĀcent of the worldās total organic agriĀculĀtural land was used for olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion, accordĀing to the report. Olives fall under the catĀeĀgory of perĀmaĀnent crops, which along with dry pulses and vegĀetaĀbles expeĀriĀenced growth of more than 15 perĀcent comĀpared to the preĀviĀous year.
In 2017, 8.3 perĀcent of the earthās olive groves were under organic proĀducĀtion.
A closer look at the detailed geoĀgraphĀiĀcal data revealed that almost 70 perĀcent of the worldās organic olive groves are in Europe, folĀlowed by North Africa with nearly 30 perĀcent ā almost entirely (99 perĀcent) in Tunisia.
Tunisia is actuĀally the counĀtry with the largest organic land area dedĀiĀcated to olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion, with more than 629,000āÆacres. This is folĀlowed by Italy with 570,000āÆacres and Spain with 480,000āÆacres, while Turkey with 202,000āÆacres and Greece with 124,000āÆacres folĀlow in fourth and fifth place.
Figures preĀsented in the surĀvey reveal other interĀestĀing facts as well: 15.5 perĀcent of Tunisiaās olive groves are organic, comĀpared to only eight perĀcent in Spain, the worldās largest olive proĀducer.
A closer look at France, one of the worldās smaller proĀducĀers, showed it has the largest share of organic olive groves: 27.3 perĀcent of its olive proĀducĀtion is cerĀtiĀfied as organic. Organic culĀtiĀvaĀtion is also big in Slovenia and Italy, where slightly more than 20 perĀcent of olive groves are organic, while Cyprus comes in at fifth, after Tunisia, with 14.6 perĀcent.
Coming back to Tunisia, it also stands out as the counĀtry with the largest organic agriĀculĀtural area in Africa, with 757,000āÆacres. In 1999, it was the first African counĀtry to put in place an organic regĀuĀlaĀtion while adoptĀing a national proĀgram to increase organic proĀducĀtion. In the past 10āÆyears, it has seen an increase in organic exports and Tunisia is one of 10 counĀtries that expeĀriĀenced the highĀest increase in organic agriĀculĀtural land in 2017.
Europe has expeĀriĀenced a 92 perĀcent increase in organic olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion in the past 10āÆyears. Only 10 perĀcent of its total organic perĀmaĀnent cropĀland is used for olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion, but it is still the conĀtiĀnent with the largest organic land area used for olives: 1.46 milĀlion acres of cropĀland are covĀered in organic olive groves.
In Africa, this comes to 635,000āÆacres, almost all of which is in Tunisia, while in Latin America 64,000āÆacres are used for organic olive culĀtiĀvaĀtion. Organic olive groves in Asia cover nearly 41,000āÆacres, while in North America the area is a modĀest 1,800āÆacres.
Cropland dedĀiĀcated to the organic culĀtiĀvaĀtion of olives is conĀtinĀuĀing to grow globĀally. There was an 8.3 perĀcent increase between 2016 and 2017, and this is bound to conĀtinue increasĀing as 18 perĀcent of agriĀculĀtural land used for olives is curĀrently in conĀverĀsion and on the way to becomĀing fully organic.
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