Since 2013, COTA has managed the collection of organic operator and acreage data from Certification Bodies. This data provides much needed detail on how the organic sector is growing.
Access all reports
All of COTA's publicly available reports - free and paid - can be purchased and downloaded from our online store. This includes market reports, production data, and policy reports.
National Production Data
Since 2013, COTA has been releasing estimates of organic acreage and operator numbers using data voluntarily provided by organic Certification Bodies. The national Organic in Canada: By the Numbers overview is released annually, with more in-depth regional reports released when commissioned. Because this is a voluntary process, all numbers reported are best-estimates. COTA is working closely with government and industry stakeholders to improve the access and quality of organic specific data in Canada.
Key findings from 2017 data
-
There are nearly 6,400 certified organic operations in Canada, up from 5,485 in 2016.
-
Organic acreage increased from 3 million to 3.2 million between 2016 and 2017.
-
Organic acreage increased over 45% between 2011 and 2017. Over the same timeframe, total agricultural acreage in Canada decreased by about 1%.
-
There are nearly 1,865 organic processors, handlers, and manufacturers.
-
Quebec remains the leader in number of operations, reaching over 2,000.
-
Saskatchewan has the most acreage, estimated at 1.2 million.
COTA's data is used in the annual World of Organic Agriculture publication from IFOAM-FiBL. Read the most recent Canada chapter on p. 289 in the 2018 report.
Prairie Production Reports
Since 2014, the Prairie Organic Grain Initiative has commissioned COTA to conduct a detailed analysis of operators and acreage in the Prairies. This information is presented in the annual Organic Agriculture in the Prairies report.
Key findings from 2017 data
-
The Prairies are a key contributor to the organic sector in Canada with 29% of certified operations, over a third of crop producers and 58% of certified acreage.
-
Organic acreage expanded from 1.6 to 1.8 million between 2016 and 2017. All three provinces recorded over 28% growth in organic acreage between 2015 and 2017.
-
Certified organic operations have reached 1,840 in 2017, up from 1,625 in 2016.
-
Alberta continues to stand out as a leader in the growth of its organic sector with 85 new operations in 2017.
-
There has been little growth in organic livestock operations in the past four years, as estimates remain between 120 and 130. This is likely due to the lack of developed value chain for organic beef cattle.
-
The number of organic processors increased by 50, reaching 165 in 2017.
Interested in a custom report?
Contact COTA to discuss your data needs, and we can work together to create customized reports to help you inform your members, support your advocacy efforts, or grow your business.