Research and Development Investment into Organics

Abstract

The Australian organic industry has reached a significant point in its development. There is unprecedented interest in organic foods from the consumer, as shown by the estimated $250-$300 million in retail sales during the past year.
That interest has been driven in part by concern about mainstream agricultural practices and by food safety
and quality issues. So-called “industrial agriculture” has been troubled by such events as the emergence of BSE or Mad Cow Disease, the recent foot and mouth epidemic and the development of genetically modified organisms.
Other factors of real concern are the impact of agriculture on the environment and the sustainability of farming systems into the long term.
However, it would be inaccurate to say that urban consumers believe organic agriculture can solve all these problems, because the simple fact is that most do not fully understand the management practices that organic farmers implement.