an organic farm

People used to say that the world would go hungry if farmed organically, but that has recently been proven to not be the case. Two studies recently conducted, one by the University of Michigan, and the other by the USDA, report that organic farming can yield more food than conventional farming, and sustain a healthier soil quality for annual food production. The benefits don’t stop there.

A University of Michigan study conducted by the School of Natural Resources and Environment was geared towards investigating the benefits of organic farming in developing countries. They found that the crop yields in developed countries are nearly the same on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, although, by using organic farming methods they can double or triple their food production.

The researches defined the term organic as "sustainable practices that utilize non-synthetic nutrient cycling processes, exclude synthetic pesticides, and sustain and regenerate the soil quality." Their study set out to disprove two common objections to organic farming: lower yields and lack of organically acceptable nitrogen sources.

"Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies—all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food," says Ivette Perfecto, Professor at the University of Michigan and principal leader of the study.

What they found was that, contrary to conventional wisdom, organic farms could produce not only more food but do it on the existing land. This is due to the regenerative properties of the organic farming process and the natural organic fertilizers. The nitrogen levels in the soil aren’t an issue as long as the farmer rotates his/her crops and plants green manures between growing seasons. Green manures are cover crops that naturally fix nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil, and naturally replace the need for synthetic fertilizers.

“This is especially good news for developing countries, where it’s sometimes impossible to deliver food from outside, so farmers must supply their own. Yields in developing countries could increase dramatically by switching to organic farming," Perfecto said. Developing countries often don’t have access to expensive fertilizers and pesticides; therefore, organic farming is not only more economical, but simply a more viable, efficient, and accessible solution to sustain their communities with enough food. This research is to be greatly applauded because the pioneers of the organic food industry such as Aldo Leopold, Robert Rodale… are finally getting vindicated by university research. Organic farming keeps the land of developing countries healthy, the surrounding ecosystem clean, manages their food production waste, and not to mention provides more nutrient rich food to keep their people healthy.

Sustainable Food News