The increasing demand for organic farm and local products had been already high before the beginning of the pandemic, but then the demand increased even more for these products. For example, in Germany, the demand for organic products at the beginning of the pandemic increased by 17%, and in the USA almost by 50%. We are investigating how the demand has changed in Ukraine and what is the difference between the discussed types of products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organic products \u2014 production of sustainable\nagriculture and\/or food industry received as a result of the certified organic\nproduction process where at every production stage only natural ingredients and\nprocesses for saving natural resources are used, it also includes protection of\nthe environment, soil fertility restoration, biodiversity enrichment, high\nstandards of animals welfare, production of high-quality products, development\nof rural areas and harmony between human and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farm products \u2014 products grown and\nproduced by small or family-type farms. Very often such products are\ndistributed by the producer itself but the quality of production entirely\ndepends on the producer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local products \u2014 products produced and\ndistributed within a region. Thus, producers help with the region’s development\nand decrease impacts on nature as they avoid additional transportation. But in\ndifferent countries, the definition of \u00ablocal\u00bb may vary \u2014 depending on the size\nof the country and a region in particular. The producer is the only one\nresponsible for the quality of such products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, there is nothing impossible.\nFor example, in Ukraine, according to the data collected by the \u00abOrganic\nStandard\u00bb certification body, 150 out of 600 certified organic operators are\nfarms. Usually, such households have an area of fewer than 100 hectares, bigger\nareas belong only to 30 households. The majority of such households are located\nin the Vinnytsia and Kyiv region. So if you find such a producer in your region\nand buy products directly from him, it will be the organic local farm product\nwe’re talking about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not many consumers are ready to go\nsomewhere to buy a product. Also, farm products are not always organic and organic\ndoesn’t always mean farm. It’s widely believed that a product bought from a\n\u00abgrandma\u00bb guarantees \u00abeco\u00bb origin, but that’s not true, because a lot of\nfarmers use chemical pesticides and fertilizers to protect their crops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some retail chains started to make\nseparate sections for organic and farm products, and local products are mostly\ndistributed in small stores so it’s getting easier to find them and recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organic products can be recognized by\nspecial labeling, \u2014 at the moment Ukrainian producers use the euroleaf. It’s\nadopted by the EU and used for marking organic products and products that are\nproduced in accordance with an equivalent standard to the EU organic\nlegislation. But the Ukrainian logotype is coming soon, it’s going to be used\nfor labeling organic products according to Ukrainian standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the moment, farm and local products do\nnot have their own labeling in Ukraine and consumers are used to buy such\nproducts mostly on local markets. According to data collected by the USDA’s\n(United States Department of Agriculture) Foreign Agricultural Service,\nUkrainians keep buying about 50% of products on local markets. That’s why the\nrecent shutdown of the markets during the strict COVID-19 quarantine was so hard\nfor farmers. In response to the shutdown, many farmers started to offer home\ndelivery and expanded the possibilities for online orders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to results of \u00abOrganic Ukraine\n2020\u00bb Regional forums, which were held in all regions in June-October, and according\nto Olena Berezovska, the president of the \u00abOrganic Ukraine\u00bb business-union,\nmost organic producers emphasize the need to develop local farm markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, the increase in sales closer to\nthe production area and organizing organic fairs and farmers markets will help\nto make it easier for consumers to access organic local farm products. In\nparallel, it’s important to organize educational events and explain to\nconsumers about different types of labeling of products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n