Support for organic agriculture is less than 1% of $17 billion in subsidies for commodity crops
From 2002 to 2014, mandatory spending on organic agriculture (mandated by the Farm Act) increased about 62% MATH: 2002: ~$105 million 2014: ~$170 million %Change: ((170-105)/105=0.619*100=61.9% Total US commodity subsidies in 2014: $17.3 billion So: Despite the fact that funding for organics has increased 62%, organic agriculture is still a mere fraction—less than 1%--of what is spent on commodity crops through subsidies
Source: “Support for the Organic Sector Expands in the 2014 Farm Act,” United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, last modified July 07, 2014, accessed June 22, 2016, http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014-july/support-for-the-organic-se.... Calculated from Environmental Working Group (Farm Subsidy Information, The United States, Top Programs (focus on 2014 program subsidies), Year: 1995-2014, accessed June 22, 2016), https://farm.ewg.org/region.php?fips=00000&progcode=total&yr=2014.