Organic agriculture has a healthy and boutique image with organic foods costlier than conventionally produced foods. However, organic food and its production can make a clear contribution to food security, better public health and rural livelihoods, improved occupational safety and health, preserving natural resources, reversing environmental degradation and aiding in climate change mitigation. It is a full plate for a rapidly growing sector of the food industry yet a tiny enterprise as most countries devote less than 1 per cent of their cropland to organic farming. China, as an example and based on 2005 statistics, had about 978,000 hectares of land dedicated to certified organic production or under certification, an amount second only to that in the United States.