Organic Agriculture in Africa 2010
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Current status
- Organic agriculture in Africa 2008. Source: IFOAM/FiBL survey 2010. Graph: FiBL
In Africa, there were almost than 900’000 hectares of certified organic agricultural land in 2008. This constitutes about 2.5 percent of the world’s organic agricultural land. 470’000 producers were reported. The countries with the most organic land are Uganda, Tunisia, and Ethiopia.
The highest shares of organic land are in Sao Tome and Prince (5 percent), Tunisia (1.8 percent), and Uganda (1.7 percent).
The majority of certified organic produce in Africa is destined for export markets. The European Union, as the major recipient of these exports, is Africa’s largest market for agricultural produce. Tunisia, which was accepted under the EU’s Third Country List in 2009, has an organic regulation.
The first 
African Organic Conference, held in Kampala, Uganda, from May 19-22, 2009, had a number of important outcomes: The Network for Organic Agriculture Research in Africa (NORA) was launched, and plans for forming an African Organic Network (AFRONET) were further developed. (See article by Hervé Bouagnimbeck in The World of Organic Agriculture 2010, page 104).
More information
Organic farming in the regions (144 KB). PDF document with the key data on organic farming (area, shares of agricultural area, producers, land use) in the regions (For PPT version see password area)
The IFOAM Africa Office and contact points
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) established its 
Africa Office (IAO) in 2004 to help the growth of Organic Agriculture on the continent. The IAO is staffed with a coordinator and is presently based at the IFOAM Head Office in Bonn, Germany. The IAO is currently mainly funded by Hivos (Africa Desk).
The following IFOAM contact points are currently established:
- The Ethiopian Association for Organic Agriculture (EAOA), Ethiopia
- The Ghana Organic Agriculture Movement (GOAN), Ghana
- The INADES-Formation Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast
- The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN), Kenya
- The Laulanié Green University and Association (LGU and LGA), Madagascar
- The National Federation of Organic Agriculture (FENAB), Senegal
- The National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), Uganda
- The National Organic Movement of Mali (MOBIOM), Mali
- The Organic Producers and Processors Association of Zambia (OPPAZ), Zambia
- The Organic Agriculture Project for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria (OAPTIN), Nigeria
- The Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Regional Desk, Zambia
- The Sustainable Agriculture Development Network (REDAD), Benin
- The Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM), Tanzania
- The Zimbabwe Organic Producers' and Processors' Association (ZOPPA), Zimbabwe
Contact
Hervé Bouagnimbeck
IFOAM Africa Office
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM
Charles-de-Gaulle-Str. 5
53113 Bonn
Germany
Tel. +49 228 926 50-10
Fax: +49 228 926 50-99
E-mail 
h.bouagnimbeck@no-spam.ifoam.orgWebsite
