Every organic crop begins with seed, yet many certified organic farmers still cannot obtain suitable organic seed for every field. The gap is not simply a shopping problem. It reflects limited breeding, production, cleaning and storage capacity—and a rule that allows untreated conventional seed when an equivalent organic variety is not commercially available.
A supply-and-demand loop
The 2022 State of Organic Seed work drew on 1,059 organic producers, certifiers and researchers, interviews with 26 seed producers, and focus groups involving more than 100 growers. Its central finding was that most organic producers use some non-organic seed because organic supply does not yet cover the varieties, quantities and regional adaptation they need.
There is progress. More than 70% of surveyed certifiers reported increased organic-seed availability. Certifiers also observed stronger growth in vegetable seed use than in field crops or cover crops. But the exemption can weaken the market signal: if farmers can routinely use conventional seed, seed companies face less certainty that investment in organic production will be repaid.
Why organic seed is different
Organic seed is produced under organic management, giving breeders and seed growers opportunities to select for performance under lower-input conditions, weed competition and organic disease pressure. Expanding it requires breeding programs as well as practical infrastructure such as cleaning equipment and storage that prevents contamination.
The report’s proposed direction is gradual, measurable improvement in sourcing rather than forcing farmers to plant an unsuitable variety. Stronger documentation by certifiers, public research funding and support for seed producers could build demand and supply together.
Read the reporting and evidence
To Meet the Demand for Organic Crops, We Need to Produce More Organic Seed was reported by Modern Farmer. The supporting State of Organic Seed 2022 report provides the survey methods and detailed findings.