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Organic Agriculture Systems Continue to Outshine Conventional Systems in Multiple Studies

January 4, 2016

Planting a seedling

ORGANIC AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO OUTSHINE CONVENTIONAL SYSTEMS IN MULTIPLE STUDIES.

Though organic agriculture currently occupies a surprisingly low 1% of global cropland, several agricultural studies have recently favored organic systems over conventional systems in terms of profitability, crop yields, and environmental safety and health concerns.

Rodale Institute has conducted one of the most substantial studies of organic and conventional agriculture. The Farming Systems Trial consists of more than 30 years worth of side-by-side comparison of conventional chemical based systems vs organic manure based and legume based systems. The findings were impressive; organic yields consistently match conventional yields, even outperforming those yields during times of more moderate drought. Organic systems also build soil matter, making it more sustainable versus conventional systems’ tendency to deplete it.

Not only does organic farming use 45% less energy, but it also produces less greenhouse gas emissions.

Rodale also suggested in a conclusion of its 30 year trial that organic agriculture is the solution for feeding the world now and in the future. A report from the Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United States (FAO) stated “organic agriculture has the potential to secure a global food supply, just as conventional agriculture is today, but with reduced environmental impact.”

The evidence of the profitability of organic systems in this, and many other studies, cannot be argued. Profitability is determined by many factors; crop yields, labor costs, price premiums, and cost savings.

Not only do cost savings due to reduced usage of nonrenewable resources and chemical pesticides increase profitability of organic crops, but cost-benefit analysis shows that it also helps to offset increased labor costs due to the need for manual labor versus mechanical labor that organic systems present. With this in mind, the need for manual labor presents a huge advantage not only for organic agriculture itself, but economically through job creation as well, providing 30% more jobs in rural areas.

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