Organic Agriculture and Poverty Reduction in Asia

Abstract

This evaluation captures the small farmer's experiences of organic projects in different climactic regions and under different conditions. It uses recent research and examples, drawn primarily from the work of a team of nine researchers on 14 case studies in China and India as well as reviews of several other countries and more than 100 related studies and documents. The report reviews the characteristics of organic production and organic markets as well as the impact of organic methods. Its purpose is to draw concise lessons to help understand the processes that have led small farmers to diversify into organic agriculture and to identify the nature of the causal or contributing relationships — whether negative or positive — of government agencies, development projects, private companies, and NGOs. It also elaborates on a range of public sector roles and makes recommendations for both strategic approaches as well as specific project design. Generally speaking, the evaluation finds that there is significant evidence that organic methods could be favorable for small farmers. In fact, most of the cases clearly noted a number of direct benefits and related externalities from which it is reasonable to conclude that the promotion of organic agriculture methods among small farmers can be well warranted