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Organic Trust News - Organic Farming for the Future.
- 01 April 2016
Washington State University researchers have concluded that feeding a growing global population with sustainability goals in mind is possible. Their review of hundreds of published studies provides evidence that organic farming can produce sufficient yields, be profitable for farmers, protect and improve the environment and be safer for farm workers.
The review study, "Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century," is featured as the cover story for February's issue of the journal Nature Plants and was authored by John Reganold, WSU regents professor of soil science and agro-ecology and doctoral candidate Jonathan Wachter. It is the first such study to analyse 40 years of science comparing organic and conventional agriculture across the four goals of sustainability identified by the US National Academy of Sciences: productivity, economics, environment, and community well being.
Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield the same amount of food. The review paper describes cases where organic yields can be higher than conventional farming methods.
"In severe drought conditions, which are expected to increase with climate change, organic farms have the potential to produce high yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils," Reganold said.
However, even when yields may be lower, organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers are willing to pay more. Higher prices can be justified as a way to compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.
Numerous studies in the review also prove the environmental benefits of organic production. Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosion. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it's more energy efficient because it doesn't rely on synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. It is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects and microbes as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature provides like pollination and improves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.
Reganold said that feeding the world is not only a matter of yield but also requires examining food waste and the distribution of food.
"If you look at calorie production per capita we're producing more than enough food for 7 billion people now, but we waste 30 to 40 percent of it," Reganold said. "It's not just a matter of producing enough, but making agriculture environmentally friendly and making sure that food gets to those who need it."
You can read the study in full here...
