The main areas of development of organic agriculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan has good potential for developing environmentally friendly agricultural production: extensive agricultural land, a large number of farms, and interest in producing environmentally-friendly products. These factors determined the relevance of the study, the main purpose of which was to investigate the main areas of the development of organic agriculture in Kazakhstan. The statistical data and reports of Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement, and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations were analyzed; logical and empirical methods were used; a survey of consumers and producers of environmentally-friendly products in Kazakhstan was conducted. This paper shows the main trends in the development of the organic sector in Kazakhstan and in the world in general. Studies have shown a growing tendency of organic production in the world, however, many countries are still in their infancy regarding this trend. At the moment, the world's land under organic agriculture is 74.9 million hectares, but in Kazakhstan, since 2016, there has been a reduction in such areas. In 2020, they amounted to 114 thousand hectares or 0.1% of all farmland in the country, which is associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic crisis. According to the international organisations Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement, in 2020, out of 190 countries of the world, Kazakhstan entered the lists of 50 producing countries and 20 exporting countries of organic agricultural products, and the export of these products amounted to about EUR 9 million. It is concluded that the necessary conditions for the introduction of ecological agriculture are gradually being created in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which would improve the economic situation of the country. The practical significance of the study was to conduct a sociological survey of consumers and producers of ecological agricultural products in four regions of Kazakhstan to identify the state and main areas of development of the domestic market of organic agriculture