Organic Farming More Efficient

[Guest guest]

It took them 22 years to figure this out. Meanwhile, our children and

grandchildren are born with pesticides in their blood. Duh. Anna

 

 Organic Farming Produces Same Corn and Soybean Yields as Conventional

Farms, but Consumes Less Energy and No Pesticides, Study Finds

    By Susan S. Lang

    Cornell University

 

    Wednesday 13 July 2005

 

    Ithaca, NY - Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and

soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less energy,

less water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming trial study

concludes.

 

    David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and

agriculture, concludes, " Organic farming offers real advantages for

such crops as corn and soybeans. " Pimentel is the lead author of a

study that is published in the July issue of Bioscience (Vol. 55:7)

analyzing the environmental, energy and economic costs and benefits of

growing soybeans and corn organically versus conventionally. The study

is a review of the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial, the longest

running comparison of organic vs. conventional farming in the United

States.

 

     " Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average

of 30 percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the

soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more

biological resources than conventional farming does, " Pimentel added.

 

    The study compared a conventional farm that used recommended

fertilizer and pesticide applications with an organic animal-based farm

(where manure was applied) and an organic legume-based farm (that used

a three-year rotation of hairy vetch/corn and rye/soybeans and wheat).

The two organic systems received no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

 

    Inter-institutional collaboration included Rodale Institute

agronomists Paul Hepperly and Rita Seidel, U.S. Department of

Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service research microbiologist

David Douds Jr. and University of Maryland agricultural economist James

Hanson. The research compared soil fungi activity, crop yields, energy

efficiency, costs, organic matter changes over time, nitrogen

accumulation and nitrate leaching across organic and conventional

agricultural systems.

 

     " First and foremost, we found that corn and soybean yields were the

same across the three systems, " said Pimentel, who noted that although

organic corn yields were about one-third lower during the first four

years of the study, over time the organic systems produced higher

yields, especially under drought conditions. The reason was that wind

and water erosion degraded the soil on the conventional farm while the

soil on the organic farms steadily improved in organic matter,

moisture, microbial activity and other soil quality indicators.

 

    The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain

significant amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global

warming, Pimentel said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic

systems increased by 15 to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about

3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per hectare out of the air.

 

    Among the study's other findings:

• In the drought years, 1988 to 1998, corn yields in the legume-based

system were 22 percent higher than yields in the conventional system.

• The soil nitrogen levels in the organic farming systems increased 8

to 15 percent. Nitrate leaching was about equivalent in the organic and

conventional farming systems.

• Organic farming reduced local and regional groundwater pollution by

not applying agricultural chemicals.

 

    Pimentel noted that although cash crops cannot be grown as

frequently over time on organic farms because of the dependence on

cultural practices to supply nutrients and control pests and because

labor costs average about 15 percent higher in organic farming systems,

the higher prices that organic foods command in the marketplace still

make the net economic return per acre either equal to or higher than

that of conventionally produced crops.

 

    Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans,

wheat, barley and other grains, Pimentel said, but it might not be as

favorable for growing such crops as grapes, apples, cherries and

potatoes, which have greater pest problems.

 

    The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review

of current literature on organic and conventional agriculture

comparisons. According to Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers

reporting on research from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial

have been published in prestigious refereed journals over the past 20

years.

 

http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/071405EB.shtml

Peace - Anna