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Organic agriculture, also known as biological or ecological agriculture, is a global trend that is practiced in 180 countries of the world, including Russia. The main task of organic agriculture is to be as natural as possible, ethical in relation to nature. That is why it is forbidden to use synthetic fertilizers and feed additives, pesticides and herbicides, growth hormones in these livestock and agricultural enterprises, besides, animals are range-fed, etc.

According to the Union of Organic Agriculture, about 70 such agricultural producers are registered in Russia; they are certified in accordance with domestic and international organic standards. Most of them are applied in the field of crop production and wild plants; a smaller number is applied to livestock.

The organic market in Russia is estimated at 160 million dollars. This is only a small part of the global turnover - $ 90 billion, and its annual growth of 15 percent is predicted.

Organic agriculture in Russia has gone from a use case to a full-fledged business since early 2000s, having overcome skepticism and criticism. Today this kind of agriculture is gaining legal status and an increasing number of supporters. Although Russia has only few certified farms on a global scale, all of them are centres of competence possessing unique knowledge and experience.

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The majority of participants in the real economy see the future in organic agriculture. The practice shows that B2C organic producers are economically successful here: these include groceries and fresh natural local products. The interest in organic business in Russia is confirmed by a study conducted by the Agrarian Centre of Moscow State University. According to it, this market has grown from 16 to 160 million dollars over the past 15 years. In addition, our country has one more trump card. The fact is that the main factor inhibiting the growth of this market in the world is the lack of suitable land resources, which gives great prospects for Russia where 20 million hectares of land have not received agrochemicals for more than 3 years and may be suitable for introduction as organic ones. Now only 246 thousand hectares of such land are in use.

Organic crop farming in Russia is more popular than cattle breeding. For example, the largest exporter of grain, bean and oilseed products abroad – “Sibirskiye Organicheskiye Produkty” LLC (the name is translated as “Siberian Organic Products”) - has become one of the most successful organic companies in the country. Agrarians have created their own scientific base for the development of technologies for growing organic products. Thus, for example, crops should be grown on land that has “had rest” from chemicals for more than 3 years; the alternation of grain crops with grain crops is prohibited, etc.