Can hydroponics be organic?

There is growing (excuse the pun) controversy in the US as to whether or not hydroponically, aeroponically or aquaponically grown produce can be labelled as “organic”.

In Australia the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce states that “organic crops” must be grown in soil. Most other countries, including the 28 countries in the European Union, Mexico, Japan and Canada, also prohibit the organic certification of produce grown through hydroponics.

But in the US this is not the case. Its National Organic Standards Board is meeting to decide whether it should be a requirement for organic crops to be grown in soil following an official legal complaint filed by the Cornucopia Institute alleging that the USDA has been illegally allowing hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables to be labelled and sold as organic.

With the global organic food market expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 14% from 2016 to 2021 (TechSci Research) and not enough organic produce around to meet demand, this controversy is not merely semantics but has pretty strong financial impetus. It will be interesting to see the outcome.