New Study Shows a Gap in California’s Organic Farming Goals

California produces a wide range of organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and dairy, and demand for those products has helped drive the growth of organic agriculture for decades. New research by the University of California, Davis, shows that growth has not continued evenly across the state.

The study, published in the scientific journal California Agriculture, finds that 4.5% of the state’s cropland was certified organic in 2022. The state is aiming to have 20% of cropland in organic production by 2045, a goal set by the California Air Resources Board.

“This is really important because it means that we’re moving in the opposite direction in recent years, which is the first time since the beginning of organics in the early 90s in California,” said Professor Ryan Galt, director of the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute and coauthor of the paper.

Using anonymized data from the California State Organic Program, California Certified Organic Farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, researchers estimated the acreage of organic cropland and animal production across the state. They found that organic animal production has accounted for much of the growth in organic acreage since 2014, while organic cropland has leveled off and declined in some recent years. 

According to the study, about 430,000 acres were used for organic crops in 2022 compared with about 1.3 million acres for organic animal production.

Creating organic cropland incentives

The organic industry aims to support healthier soils and a more resilient food system. Organic farming avoids synthetic fertilizers and pesticides while helping soils retain water and store carbon, which can help crops withstand drought and other climate stresses.

Organic products are widely available in grocery stores, even as the amount of organic cropland has leveled off.

“Most of the grocery stores you go to, you can buy organic produce, and that creates the perception that we’re making continued progress,” said Katie Butterfield, a postdoctoral researcher with the Agricultural Sustainability Institute and coauthor of the paper. “So, to show that actually organic farming is starting to fall off, it really does emphasize that we need to continue to work on this and keep pushing it forward.”

Researchers highlight additional strategies are needed to encourage more farmers to transition cropland to organic production. Butterfield said one approach could be using institutional purchasing to increase demand for organic products.

“One of the things that is potentially impactful is leveraging some of the school system purchasing, both potentially for the UC system and also the K-12 school system, to boost the demand for organic in California,” Butterfield said. “We already have some programs that are focused on buying California-produced goods in both of those systems, so including opportunities for organic could be helpful as well.”

Better data to track progress 

Researchers also recommend improving the state’s organic data collection, starting with separating field crop production from pasture and rangeland in state reporting. Better data would allow policymakers to more accurately track whether the state is making progress toward its 20% organic cropland goal.

“We’re at a place where humanity has never been before, and it really does require us being relentlessly reflective about the things that we’re doing and how we’re doing them,” Galt said. “In order to meet those climate goals, California is going to need to get creative around what kind of incentive structure it wants to offer to farmers to do that.”

This research was funded in part by a UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives grant from the UC Office of the President and by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.