Organic Farming and Climate Change: The Need for Innovation

Abstract

Organic agriculture has experienced remarkable growth in recent decades as societal interest in environmental protection and healthy eating has increased. Research has shown that relative to conventional agriculture, organic farming is more efficient in its use of non-renewable energy, maintains or improves soil quality, and has less of a detrimental effect on water quality and biodiversity. Studies have had more mixed findings, however, when examining the impact of organic farming on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) in particular have indicated that organic farming can often result in higher GHG emissions per unit product as a result of lower yields. The organic movement has the opportunity to embrace the science of LCA and use this information in developing tools for site-specific assessments that can point toward strategies for improvements. Responding effectively to the climate change crisis should be at the core of the organic movement’s values. Additionally, while societal-level behavioral and policy changes will be required to reduce waste and shift diets to achieve essential reductions in GHG emissions throughout food systems, organic farming should be open to seriously considering emerging technologies and methods to improve its performance and reduce GHG emissions at the production stage.

Revitalizing Fertility of Nutrient-Deficient Virgin Sandy Soil Using Leguminous Biocompost Boosts Phaseolus vulgaris Performance

“…As a consequence, soils have lost much of their fertility, threatening the food security of the world [ 58 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ]. Accordingly, to maintain sustainable agricultural development, virgin (unused) lands that can be cultivated with more organic and less chemical fertilization, are being, or should be, used to minimize pollutants to produce clean agricultural products free of pollution [ 71 ].…”

Healthier and more sustainable diets: What changes are needed in high‐income countries?

“…In high‐income countries, there has been much debate and recent media attention around the precise dietary changes needed to achieve these objectives. Reducing consumption of meat, for example, has consistently emerged as a recommendation (BDA, 2020; CCC, 2020; Mbow et al, 2019), due to its higher environmental impact relative to plant‐derived sources of protein (Poore & Nemecek, 2018), and the potential negative health effects of high consumption of red (and processed) meat (Clark, 2020; Springmann et al, 2018a). However, dietary patterns that are truly sustainable should consider not only health and the environment but also other important factors such as cost, accessibility and affordability, as highlighted in the definition of sustainable diets provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO; see Box 1; FAO, 2012).…”

Environmental Objectives of Spanish Agriculture: Scientific Guidelines for their Effective Implementation under the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2030

“…Organic farming regulations implement limits on the application of synthetic chemicals but do not guarantee high levels of biodiversity and ecosystem services. For example, the benefits of the absence of chemicals may be outweighed by the negative effects of increased mechanical tillage or irrigation to increase production (Hole et al, 2005;Ponce et al, 2011;Schneider et al, 2014;Clark, 2020). The area under organic cultivation cannot be considered as devoted to biodiversity conservation unless direct evidence of net positive effects is provided (Schneider et al, 2014).…”