ORGANIC & CONVENTIONAL FARMING FACE-OFF IN 22-YEAR STUDY

[Guest guest]

The July issue of the journal Bioscience reviewed a 22-year-long field study by

the Rodale Institute which compared organic and conventional farming on similar

plots of land with similar crops. The study found that in the initial five years

of the study, the conventional crops (i.e. crops grown with pesticides and

synthetic fertilizers) had slightly better yields than the organic crops. But

during that same initial period, the organic farming practices were building up

higher levels of soil mass and biodiversity which then allowed the organic land

to generate yields equal to or greater than the conventional crops. The

conventional crops collapsed during drought years, while the organic crops

fluctuated only slightly, due to greater water holding potential in the organic

enriched soil. The conventional crop also had pesticides leaching into the water

at levels exceeding the EPA's safety limits. Over the 22 year period, the

organic crops used 30% less fossil energy inputs than the

conventional crops.

 

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/norm071805.cfm

 

 

Caroline Collard