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In a report produced for the . . . Organic Trade Association called “U.S. Organic Hotspots and their Benefit to Local Economies,” Penn State agricultural economist Edward Jaenicke found that so called “organic hotspots” — at least two counties with high levels of organic agricultural activity compared to their neighbors — experienced a $2,000 increase in median incomes and a 1.3% decline in poverty levels.
Jaenicke said that he was not paid for the research by the OTA — it was project he began independently several years ago — but was approached by the organization to help publicize his findings after he made a presentation about his preliminary results.
The complete research paper on the benefits of organic hotspots is undergoing peer review by an academic journal, he said. . . .
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“In a way, I wish [the increase in median household income] wasn’t quite such a large number, it is an eye-opener and almost too big to believe in some ways,’ he said. . . .
Jaenicke said he hopes other researchers try to replicate or update his findings.
Read full, original post: Organic benefits to communities almost seem ‘too good to be true’
