Editing Organic farming (section)

==== Millennium Development Goals ====

The value of organic agriculture (OA) in the achievement of the [[Millennium Development Goals]] (MDG), particularly in poverty reduction efforts in the face of climate change, is shown by its contribution to both income and non-income aspects of the MDGs. These benefits are expected to continue in the post-MDG era. A series of case studies conducted in selected areas in Asian countries by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and published as a book compilation by ADB in Manila document these contributions to both income and non-income aspects of the MDGs. These include poverty alleviation by way of higher incomes, improved farmers' health owing to less chemical exposure, integration of sustainable principles into rural development policies, improvement of access to safe water and sanitation, and expansion of global partnership for development as small farmers are integrated in value chains.<ref name="E&S">{{Cite book|url=https://www.adb.org/publications/organic-agriculture-and-post-2015-development-goals|title=Organic Agriculture, Poverty Reduction, Climate Change, and the Millennium Development Goals (Chapter 1 of Organic Agriculture and Post-2015 Development Goals: Building on the Comparative Advantage of Poor Farmers)|date=June 23, 2015|publisher=[[Asian Development Bank]]|pages=3–48|first=Sununtar|last=Setboonsarng}}</ref>

A related ADBI study also sheds on the costs of OA programs and set them in the context of the costs of attaining the MDGs. The results show considerable variation across the case studies, suggesting that there is no clear structure to the costs of adopting OA. Costs depend on the efficiency of the OA adoption programs. The lowest cost programs were more than ten times less expensive than the highest cost ones. However, further analysis of the gains resulting from OA adoption reveals that the costs per person taken out of poverty was much lower than the estimates of the World Bank,<ref name="autogenerated1">World Bank. 2008. Global Monitoring Report 2008: MDGs and the Environment: Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.</ref> based on income growth in general or based on the detailed costs of meeting some of the more quantifiable MDGs (e.g., education, health, and environment).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.adb.org/publications/organic-agriculture-and-post-2015-development-goals|title=The Costs of Achieving the Millennium Development Goals by Adopting Organic Agriculture (Chapter 2 of Organic Agriculture and Post-2015 Development Goals: Building on the Comparative Advantage of Poor Farmers)|date=June 23, 2015|publisher=[[Asian Development Bank]]|pages=49–78|first1=Anil|last1=Markandya|first2=Sununtar|last2=Setboonsarng|first3=Qiao|last3=YuHui|first4=Rachanee|last4=Songkranok|first5=Adam|last5=Stefan}}</ref>