Spain: Challenges of organic farming in Spain

Organic farming and consumption of products “organic” are fashionable but still has some way to go, especially in Andalusia, which accounts for half of the Spanish organic agricultural area.

Organic farming and consumption of products “organic” are booming for several years. Still, the latest statistics from the General Secretariat of Rural and Ecological Production conclude that organic production in Malaga and the rest of Andalusia has decreased compared to previous years.

But do people really know how the industry works? Luis Mendez, agronomist Asaja, highlights, among many other problems, the lack of information to consumers and farmers. And it is that not everyone knows the benefits of these foods and the advantages from the point of view of environmental and labor.

There are also agricultural workers who are not trained in this area and believe that organic farming work happens not only take chemicals to the earth, “is something more complex and need to know what is done well,” says Mendez. Currently, the professionalization of the sector is a challenge.

Unlike countries such as Germany or the United Kingdom, which have more consumer culture “bio”, Spain is characterized by the lack of information that the consumer is unaware of the case and, as a result, traders have taken advantage of the rules for organic farming are not fully regulated. Now there Euroleaf, a distinctive European level that supports organic products.

Another problem is the few points of marketing of these foods. According to Asaja, ideally the existence of shelves local and organic produce in supermarkets, including large chains. “The consumer will not always have time to move to a specific market that mounts a given Saturday a month, the products have to be accessible,” says Luis Mendez.

Another concern for the sector is the little local consumption of these products, almost all of the production comes from Spain. “Many products are exported to Malaga United Kingdom and Germany, avocados are exported to Europe, near 90% of production, and 100% of the handle out of Spain,” explains Méndez. Specifically, are countries where organic production is most entrenched.

The same study by the General Secretariat of Rural details that are 806,726.55 hectares of organic production in Andalusia. It remains the region with the largest certified area of ​​Spanish territory (50.10%) but a decrease of 15% compared to last year, which means the first significant drop in the sector since its inception appreciated.