China Going Organic

For years, China pursued chemical input-heavy farming to increase yields and ensure enough food for its enormous population. Chinese leaders see food self-sufficiency as a political imperative and have invested millions in GM crop research in order to secure ever-higher yields. Nevertheless, recent years have seen a surge in organic farming, which advocates the use of traditional farming methods without use of fertilizers or pesticides. The demand is driven by an explosion of organic food sales overseas. China's organic food exports totalled 142 million US dollars in 2003 and 200 million US dollars in 2004. While these overseas sales account for only a fraction of the 27 billion US dollar global market for organic foods, they are increasing at a rate of 50 percent annually. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0527-03.htm

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