| | The Prairie Organic Grain Initiative commissioned the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) to publish the fourth report on organic operations and acreage in the Prairies. This 2017 data report contains information and statistics on organic operations, acreage, and market growth in the Prairies. Furthermore, the report provides an in-depth analysis of the organic operations and acreage of each Prairie province.
"This report highlights the continued strong growth in organic production across the Prairies, which is driven by continually increasing demand," says Becky Lipton, program director for the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative. "The growth is in almost every commodity and shows a continuation of a trend that began back in 2014 and does not show signs of slowing."
Key Findings
- Over a third of crop producers and 58 per cent of certified organic acreage is found in the Prairie provinces.
- Between 2016 and 2017, organic acreage in Canada increased from 1.6 to 1.8 million acres.
- Saskatchewan represents 64 per cent of organic prairie acreage, followed by Alberta (30 per cent), and Manitoba (6 per cent).
- Ninety-one percent of Canada’s organic oat acreage is in the Prairies.
- There has been a steady increase in acreage of dried peas in the Prairies. In 2017, Alberta had 56,300 acres of dried peas, Saskatchewan had 33,700 acres, and in Manitoba there were 1,300 acres.
- From 2016 to 2017, there was a growth in the number of organic processors in the Prairies. Manitoba had the most pronounced growth from 50 to 70 processors, Saskatchewan grew from 90 to 105, and there was an increase from 80 to 90 processors in Alberta.
The operation and acreage data for this report was voluntarily supplied by certification bodies across Canada and the United States to COTA for analysis and release. COTA and experts in the organic sector conducted secondary research and analysis on the data provided to create this report.
Read Organic Agriculture in the Prairies 2017 Data.
For any questions about the report, contact Becky Lipton at becky.lipton@prairieorganicgrain.org. |
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