Organic farming can feed the world

Organic farming can feed the world, according to a landmark US study, as Paul Mole reports in the Western Australian rural weekly, The Countryman.

[06 Sep 2007] RESEARCHERS at the University of Michigan claim organic agriculture can produce yields equal to conventional farming in the developed world and up to three times as much food on farms in developing countries, while boosting food security.

The report’s leading author, Professor Ivette Perfecto, said the university’s controversial conclusions, which have caused frenzied global debate, dispelled the myth levelled at organic producers that they cannot produce the same yields as traditional farming systems. The study was based on more than 290 separate comparisons of the two approaches to farming. In addition to equal or greater yields, Professor Perfecto said crop returns on a global per capita basis could be achieved without putting more farmland into production.

US scientists also claimed that so-called green manures provided enough nitrogen to replace synthetic fertilisers, while legumes could also fix as much nitrogen in the soil as common man-made top dressings.

Muchea certified organic and biodynamic farmer Wayne Brock and Organic Growers’ Association of WA president Annie Kavanagh backed the study’s findings, saying a range of modern agricultural industries had vested interests in conventional farming techniques.

Mr Brock, who has grown organic crops and livestock since the early 1980s, said his 16-hecatre block could comfortably furnish demand for Muchea’s annual per capita vegetable requirements.

‘We’re getting just as much if not a little bit more out of our plants compared to the conventional grower,’ he said. ‘Globalisation is a great thing, if you’re having a dinner party and you want some mangos, then fine, you can buy mangos 12 months of the year, but it’s a a total myth that organic yields can’t compete.’

Ms Kavanagh said organic agriculture suffered from a lack of research cash. ‘When you look at conventional farming and things like genetically-modified cotton they get enormous amounts of money to carry out research all the time, but unfortunately organic agriculture has to rely on a lot of anecdotal evidence,’ she said.

‘WA has been running successful broadacre organic farms for about 30 years. Farmers should also realise that they can shift to organic agriculture slowly by adapting parts of their farm, one bit at a time, and not all of it overnight.
Because of the high cost of fertilisers, developing countries have been forced to adopt organic methods.’

Vegetables WA president David Anderson admitted organic yields were improving all the time, but he balked at the suggestion organics could feed a hungry planet.

‘To be honest, I haven’t seen this particular study and I’m not sure organic agriculture can equal conventional farming yields,’ Mr Anderson said.

‘But the industry has made quantum leaps recently in terms of production that needs further field research. Organics is a new farming system that I think needs more time to fully develop.’

A recent report from the University of Iowa, full article on link below

“The study shows that well-managed organic crop rotations, which are key to organic farming practices, actually lead to higher yields than conventional chemical methods and rotations. (In the current ethanol-infused corn boom, farmers are forgoing the traditional corn-soybean rotation and growing continuous corn, which requires a greater amount of chemical fertilizers to keep the yield up.)

Finally, organic farming gets criticized for its tillage practices, which critics say leads to soil erosion and leaches nitrates into groundwater. The critics say conventional “no-till” farm methods, associated with genetically modified crops and heavy doses of herbicides, are superior”.

More information
http://www.countryman.com.au
http://www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/ASP/articleDisplay.asp?strArticleId=2450&strSite=NFMSITE&Screen=ARTICLEARCHIVE