Helga Willer realiza un resumen de las estadísticas al inicio del libro, en donde destacan las siguientes cifras:
Por otro lado, el mercado de productos orgánicos tiene actualmente un valor de más de 46 mil millones de dólares, y se registra la mayor cantidad de productos consumidos en los países de América del Norte y Europa según el Organic Monitor.
Esta publicación fue presentada durante la BioFach 2009 el día 20 de febrero, y contiene información sobre 141 países. Ecuador ha sido incluido por primera vez a profundidad en un capitulo preparado por Mariuxi Rovayo, coordinadora de Negocios Internacionales de la UDLA y Sonia Lehmann de la GTZ Cooperación Técnica Alemana.
Ecuador
MARÍA A. ROVAYO AND SONIA LEHMANN
Figure 42: Ecuador: Development of the area under organic production 2001-2007.
Source: Data provided by accredited organic certifiers in Ecuador. Elaboration: authors. Include acuaculture and wild collection.
Certified and informal organic agriculture
There are two clearly differentiated trends in Ecuador: first, the development of organic certified agriculture for the international markets, and second, agroecology, or organic agriculture without certification. The former is characterized by a close relationship with the world’s market demand in products like bananas, coffee, cocoa, shrimp and some new products such as quinoa, mango and sugar cane. The application of agroecological production techniques that address environmental concerns has a clear relationship to the local market with a food security goal (Rodríguez, et. al 2007).
Figure 43: Ecuador: Area under organic production by main products
Source: Data provided by accredited organic certifiers in Ecuador; Elaboration: authors
According to the statistics collected by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) from the accredited certifiers in Ecuador, by the end of the year 2007, the area under organic certification had increased to 62’262 hectares, while the area in transition represented 3’316 hectares (including areas for wild harvested products and for aquaculture). The total area of land in organic production (certified and in transition) has been increasing in a range of 17 percent to 49 percent per year since 2001.
Cocoa, banana, shrimp and coffee are the most important organic crops in Ecuador. As shows that cocoa and bananas have demonstrated an increase over the last four years, while coffee and shrimp have been more or less stable. Other products being produced organically in Ecuador are special products from Amazonia, like mushrooms under wild collection, quinoa and other Andean cereals, mango, sugar cane and vegetables. While most of these products are directed to international markets - especially to the European market and to the United States of America, vegetables are mostly consumed in local markets.
Organic agriculture in Ecuador has been developed both by producers with large tracts of land and by small farmers. The latter are usually organized through associations to ensure volumes, quality, access certification and markets. There are 82 producers’ organizations in Ecuador working with organic production systems and accredited by recognized certifiers.
A recent case study produced by GTZ showed that small coffee producer associations in Ecuador increased their profits by 114 percent (504’60 US Dollars per metric ton) within two years by exporting organic coffee to the European market (Rodríguez & Rovayo 2007).
The same graph also shows that there is a redistribution of the benefits to the organized producers. These results have been achieved as a result of the producers’ organization working with organic production systems for a market segment oriented towards high quality.
Figure 44: Ecuador: Changes in the value chain of organic coffee for small
producers within two years 2004-2006 (US Dollars per metric ton)
Source: Rodríguez & Rovayo 2007
Local and international market
The local demand for organic products has increased over the last several years, due to changes in consumer awareness of health and environmental issues. Some of the organic products offered in Ecuador include vegetables, coffee, fruits and processed food. As mentioned before, Ecuadorian consumers buy certified organic certified products, as well as products from small farmers cultivated through agro-ecological practices. These products can be found in regular markets separated or mixed with conventional products; special markets or fairs, organized mostly by farmers’ associations with a specific brand assuring the production under agro-ecological or organic standards, and specialist stores like MCCH or CAMARI also include fair trade aspects.
A study carried out by GTZ in 2007 showed that some certified organic vegetables in local markets receive a price premium. These premiums may vary in relation to the conventional products by 7 percent to more than 100 percent depending on the product. Lettuce may fetch an 8 percent premium, while coffee achieves premiums as high as 170 percent. Although the demand for organic products in the local market is increasing, there is not yet a regular supply. Moreover, there is still need to increase the consumers’ awareness of the benefits of organic food.
The national authority for organic agriculture is the Ministerio de Agricultura Ganadería Acuacultura y Pesca (MAGAP) through its Servicio Ecuatoriano de Sanidad Agropecuaria (SESA) and the Subsecretaria de Fomento Agroproductivo (DIPA). In 2003, the national control authority established the legal framework for organic agriculture in Ecuador. These regulations were adapted in 2006. In 2005, SESA developed the National Control System for Organic Products. Today, only locally accredited organic certifiers can perform organic certification in Ecuador. The accredited certification bodies in Ecuador are BCS Öko-Garantie, Control Union, Ecocert and Ceres. Until now, BCS certifies more than half (53 percent) of the land under organic production in Ecuador, followed by Ecocert (27 percent), BCS and CERES (both 10 percent).
Future potential of organic agriculture in Ecuador
Ecuador has an important potential in the development of organic agriculture, due to its biological diversity. Organic production will be oriented towards international and national markets, and as a result, specific requirements for certification or verification mechanisms must be pursued. As the development of organic agriculture in Ecuador is closely related to international demand, its future still depends on market participation, not only in the quantities demanded, but also in the premium that the market is willing to pay.
On the national side, the recent established national policies are also supporting the development of organic agriculture with a focus in food security. Therefore, the future of organic agriculture in Ecuador also depends on the development of the local market. Organic agriculture still represents an opportunity for small Ecuadorian farmers who can offer specialty products, such as cocoa, to the international markets, while increasing their incomes and producing food for local markets and for their families. The most important challenge for organic producers is the access to markets and the creation of long-term business relationships within the whole value chain.
Bibliography
- INEC, SESA (200): III Censo Nacional Agropecuario. Ecuador.
- MAE (Ministerio del Ambiente) (2001): Política y Estrategia Nacional de Biodiversidad del Ecuador 2001 – 2010. Ecuador
- Rodríguez, J. Flores, J., Cáseres, C., Reyes, M.A., Weiskopf, B., Naranjo M.F. (2005). Producción Orgánica en Ecuador in: Rodríguez,J; Rovayo,M; Flores, J. (2007): Agricultura Orgánica en el Ecuador. GTZ, Ecuador
- Rodríguez, J. Rovayo, M. (2007): Distribución y redistribución de ingresos en cadenas de valor: Análisis de casos en asociaciones de pequeños productores del Ecuador de café y cacao. Programa GESOREN, GTZ Ecuador
- SIISE (2007): Sistema Integrado de Indicadores Sociales. Ecuador
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