Three decades of organic wheat improvement: Assessing the impact and returns on investment

A changing regulatory environment and growing awareness are driving the need for crop improvement in organic agriculture. Contrary to conventional breeding, evidence on the economic effects of research and development in organic breeding is lacking. This study assesses adoption, economic impact, and rates of return to organic crop improvement research. The economic surplus method is used to quantify the impact of the Wiwa winter wheat variety. The standard model is enhanced by considering the economic benefits of improvements in crop nutrient and processing quality as well as resilience gains. Results show substantial economic returns of 18.6 per cent for the period from 1988 to 2019. The reduced downside risk of the organic cultivar is a key distinguishing factor in the analysis as organic breeding aims at providing farmers with resilient cultivars. Further investment in organic breeding appears as a promising element in the strategy for resilient and sustainable food systems.