Wanted: Farmers willing to convert to organic

It is hard to think of any sector that has been as persistently questioned as organic farming. Every few weeks, a familiar argument resurfaces: organic cannot feed us, yields are too low, the risks are too high. Organic is often portrayed as well-intentioned, but ultimately impractical: a nice idea that collapses under real-world pressure.

But in the surveys we have conducted, the results are clear: people are willing to support farmers in the 2-3 years it takes to convert to organic. Despite this, we rarely come across produce marketed as “conversion to organic”, and we struggle to find farmers who are currently in the conversion process or who even have the desire to start it.

Across Europe, demand for organic food has grown steadily over the past two decades. According to the European Commission, the EU organic market reached approximately €45 billion in value. Even with the recent slowdown linked to inflation, long-term consumption trends remain significantly higher than they were ten years ago. The apparent “slowdown” often discussed in organic growth across Europe requires a more careful reading. Part of the stagnation visible in recent statistics is methodological rather than structural. In 2021, Eurostat revised how it reports organic farmland, choosing to exclude “in-conversion” land from headline figures and counting only fully certified areas. In effect, a significant portion of the transition pipeline disappeared from the data, making growth appear flatter than it actually is. 

At the same time, the picture is far from uniform across the continent. While countries such as France and Germany have reported stagnation or even slight declines in recent years (even known as the “crise du bio” or organic crisis in France), southern Europe continues to expand. In 2023 alone, Spain, Italy and Portugal added more than 700,000 hectares of organic farmland combined. Rather than a generalised decline, what the numbers reveal is a geographical shift in the transition, moving towards regions where production conditions, or farming systems, make organic conversion more viable.

On top of this, European policy has moved in one direction: expansion. Under the Farm to Fork Strategy (the European Union’s flagship green policy introduced in 2020), the EU set a target of reaching 25% of agricultural land under organic management by 2030. It is a highly ambitious goal that remains in place today, even though the current share of organic farmland sits at around 11%.

From a distance, everything seems aligned: demand exists and policy supports growth. But then…

The “valley of death” between conventional and organic

To convert to organic farming in Europe, producers must comply with the requirements set out in the EU Regulation. The regulation harmonises standards across the Union and reinforces principles such as soil-based production, strict limits on synthetic inputs, and a near-zero tolerance for GMOs.

This conversion period lasts two years for arable crops and up to three years for perennial systems such as olives, vineyards, or fruit trees. During this time, farms must adopt organic practices in full, and they are subject to the exact same rigorous, official audits as fully certified organic farms; the only difference is the auditor’s certificate designates their harvest as “in-conversion” rather than “organic” during these initial years. Without the right to use the recognisable EU organic logo (the famous green leaf) on their products, they must continue to sell their produce at conventional prices since there’s no room for “conversion” on the supermarket shelves.

The economic implications are immediate. Labour costs typically increase by 10–20%, yields can fall by 10–30% as soils recover from years of chemical input, and at the same time, farmers must invest in new equipment and absorb certification costs. This transition phase has been baptised “the valley of death”, which, as you can imagine, isn’t very inviting for curious conventional farmers looking to go green.

A market that no longer rewards transition

A decade ago, the organic sector was defined by expansion. Retailers were actively seeking supply, and conversion was encouraged as a necessary step to meet growing demand. Today, the situation has shifted. Organic is no longer an emerging niche but a consolidated market segment, increasingly dominated by large-scale retailers.

In countries such as Germany, which represents the largest organic market in Europe, sales reached record levels of over €17 billion in recent years. However, nearly 60% of these sales are now controlled by supermarkets and big retailers. Companies such as Aldi and Lidl have expanded into organic products, and rely on various power strategies to maintain competitive pricing.

This shift has made organic food more accessible to consumers, particularly during the recent cost-of-living crisis. But it has also altered the structure of demand. Retailers prioritise stable, certified supply chains that can deliver consistent volumes at predictable prices. Farms in conversion, by contrast, represent uncertainty. As a result, the system increasingly favours those who are already organic, while offering limited pathways for those attempting to become so.

Where farmers convert, and where they don’t

The geography of organic conversion reveals a structural dynamic that is often overlooked. Paradoxically, it is becoming harder to find farmers willing to convert in regions where organic farming is already well established.

In areas such as southern Spain, where large-scale organic production of crops like olives, almonds and avocados has expanded rapidly over the past decade, the market is increasingly saturated. Competition between certified producers is more intense, margins are under pressure, and the incentives for new entrants are limited. For a conventional farmer in these regions, the transition can appear less attractive.

By contrast, regions with lower levels of organic penetration often present more favourable conditions for conversion. In parts of Portugal or northern Spain, where organic supply remains limited, there is greater room for market expansion and less direct competition. Buyers seeking organic produce are more likely to support new projects, and farmers can position themselves within a less crowded landscape.

Trust, origin, and the politics of consumption

The challenges of conversion are not only economic; they are also shaped by consumer perception. Across Europe, trust in organic certification is not evenly distributed, and this has implications for how transition products are received.

In France, for example, surveys and market studies have repeatedly shown a strong preference for domestic products. Concerns about organic production standards, even within the EU’s harmonised regulatory framework, persist among some consumers. In France for example, Spanish produce (despite being subject to the same rules) is sometimes perceived as less reliable.

This creates an unexpected dynamic where consumers who are sceptical of certified organic imports may be more inclined to support projects in transition if they can access information about the farmers and production methods involved. In this context, proximity and transparency can outweigh formal certification.

This is exactly where innovative market players are stepping in to close the gap. Recognising that consumers want to support local ecological efforts, initiatives are creating explicit “in-conversion” pathways that turn the transition period into a selling point rather than a penalty.

In France, the group Beyond Green created the brand PourDemain specifically to tackle this. They market a dedicated “conversion biologique” (organic conversion) range, explicitly highlighting the transitional status of the food. By paying a fair price to farmers during these financially vulnerable years, they have successfully financed the conversion of 172 hectares of land.

Similarly, direct-to-consumer platforms like CrowdFarming bypass traditional retail bottlenecks to leverage the power of storytelling. Rather than hiding the transition, they highlight the “conversion to organic” labels. By supporting transitioning farmers to explain their practices directly to consumers, the model fosters long-term commitments, such as adopting a tree or an animal.

It is time to give visibility to the organic conversion. We cannot collectively demand more organic food while disregarding the fact that farmers need support to cross that bridge. People are ready and willing to support them, but for that to happen, they first need to be able to find them.

Are you a farmer considering the leap to organic agriculture? We know the transition is hard, but we also know there is a market waiting to reward the effort. If you are a farmer ready to make the transition, or if you know someone who is, please contact us. We are looking for you; we have a community ready to support your journey!