Page 22 - Breeding and regulatory opportunities, Renaud

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1 Map of the US, showing the two broccoli ield trial site locations in Maine and Oregon.

1.2 Background

1.2.1 Organic Agriculture in USA

The US organic market, with consumer sales of $US 31.5 billion (€23 billion)

and 5.4 million production acres (2.2 million ha), is the fastest growing global

market, with 9.5% market growth in 2012 (compared to 4.7% conventional)

(Willer and Lernoud, 2014, OTA, 2013). Organic food sales value now represent

4.2% of all US food sales (OTA, 2013). Since the implementation of the United

States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) in

2002, certiied organic farmland in the US has nearly tripled (USDA AMS, 2002;

USDA NASS, 2012). Organic production in the US is comprised of both large-

scale growers concentrated in speciic regions and numerous small scattered

acreages across the country that produce in a broad range of environments to

service local and diverse food markets (USDA ERS, 2011). Consumer preference

for more sustainably produced foods, combined with the perception that

organically produced food is more nutritious, are the primary drivers behind

the growth in this demand (Stolz et al., 2011). While the organic market has

been developing, so too have the organic agriculture production systems that

support sector growth.

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