{"id":41463,"date":"2026-04-23T00:01:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T04:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=41463"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T19:09:43","slug":"despite-benefits-transition-to-organic-farmland-not-growing-as-fast-of-consumer-demand-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2026\/04\/despite-benefits-transition-to-organic-farmland-not-growing-as-fast-of-consumer-demand-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite Benefits, Transition to Organic Farmland Not Growing as Fast of Consumer Demand, Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, April 23, 2026) \u201cFully organic growers face fewer agronomic challenges as compared to mixed growers,\u201d according to a recent analysis published in Agricultural Systems<\/em><\/a> by researchers at the University of California. The authors cite a slowing growth rate for organic certification and new organic farms, despite an increase in consumer demand. A 2025 Organic Trade Association (OTA)<\/a> report shows organic market product sales at $76.6 billion with an annual growth rate of 6.8 percent\u2014double that of the non-organic marketplace (3.4 percent). On the eve of the 2026 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) spring meeting to review organic standards and update the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, public health and environmental advocates, and members of the broader regenerative organic movement, will gather. The Board convenes twice a year to vote on key issues that are under review and have been subject to public hearings and comments, intended to ensure organic integrity and expansion.<\/p>\n

Methodology and Results<\/h2>\n

The University of Colorado researchers combined quantitative and qualitative data from a survey and a set of interviews, respectively, with organic farmers in the state of California. For the survey, 426 certified organic farmers in California responded to questions asking \u201cgrowers to report on the extent of challenges they faced with managing various aspects of their organic operation including the production of different crops, managing the farm as an integrated organic system, and handling systemic aspects of organic farming such as certification, regulation, and labor.\u201d There were also 69 interviews with experts \u201cacross the organic industry, including growers of different crops, input suppliers, handlers, researchers and others, who spoke about the primary challenges and needs of their role and the directions in which they would like to see the industry evolve.\u201d For more details on the methodology, please see page 4 of the study.<\/p>\n

The researchers confirmed their hypothesis that organic producers face a different set of challenges depending on scale and type of operation. The three main findings include:<\/p>\n

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  1. Fully organic farmers face fewer agronomic difficulties overall compared to mixed organic or non-organic farmers.<\/li>\n
  2. Larger farms, regardless of organic status, face greater agronomic challenges in terms of crop nutrition, pest, and weed management; and<\/li>\n
  3. Smaller-scale farms face fewer agronomic challenges than medium-to-large-scale farms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There are some additional noteworthy results from the quantitative and qualitative analyses:<\/p>\n