Organic farming yields more abundant crops

Organic farming holds its own against standard farming methods and can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming. These are the findings from latest research conducted in the U.S. by the University of Michigan's school of Natural Resources and Environment.

The findings contradict arguments that organic farming is not as efficient as conventional techniques, which use synthetic fertilisers and pesticides for greater perceived yield.

The studies looked at 293 different examples, with average yield ratios, to model the global food supply that could be grown organically on the current agricultural land base.

Results indicate that:

• leguminous cover crops could fix enough nitrogen to replace the amount of synthetic fertiliser currently in use
• organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base

The conclusion from this is that 'organic agriculture, (which emphasises crop rotation), has the potential to contribute quite substantially to the global food supply, while reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of conventional agriculture'.

Ivette Perfecto, a professor involved with the studies, said "My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can't produce enough food through organic agriculture". Adding, "We were struck by how much food the organic farmers would produce".

Experts in organic farming may not be surprised by this news, but many of us may find this information a welcome antidote to the hegemony of decades of conventional agricultural practices. These findings are not only positive for companies such as Abundant Earth, and their customers, but also on a wide-ranging environmental and social scale. With warming climates and endlessly growing populations, organic farming certainly offers great promise for our planet and her people.