24
Jul
Sixteen Year Field Trial Shows Organic Corn Outcompetes Chemical-Intensive Fields in Kenya
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(Beyond Pesticides, July 24, 2025) In a sixteen-year field trial based in Central Kenya, researchers have found higher crop yield stability in low-input organic systems with previously degraded soil than in high-input organic and nonorganic agricultural systems.
One of the agrichemical industry-fed arguments against organic production is the false belief that, if all agricultural production went organic, then it would lead to a crisis of food security. Proponents of transitioning to organic continually push back, given the steady flow of evidence, backed by decades-long field trials, that organic can compete—and even outcompete—conventional systems after a transitional period.
Background and Methodology
This long-term field trial, published this year in European Journal of Agronomy, was conducted at two sites in Central Kenya—Chuka (lower soil fertility) and Kandara (higher soil fertility)—between 2007 and 2022.  Both Chuka and Kandara share bimodal rainfall (two wet seasons split up with distinct dry seasons) and consist of two growing seasons in a given calendar year. There were six crop rotation cycles for the maize, which included various legumes, vegetables, and root crops depending on the input level and farming system.
The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in agricultural plots, with the fields split up into four farming systems: organic high input (Org-High), conventional high input (Conv-High), organic low input (Org-Low), and conventional low input (Conv-Low). High versus low inputs refer to the quantity and types of soil inputs, mulch, irrigation, and pest management tools (pesticides). Mulch was only applied in organic systems. Organic systems were fed natural forms of soil supplements (i.e., compost) and rain-fed, while conventional systems were sprayed with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and supplemented with irrigation. Using statistical analysis tools, the researchers measured plant growth through the height and stem diameter of ten randomly selected plants across all plots; for yield, the crop was harvested from the center of each plot to ensure robust data results.
The researchers of this study are based at Switzerland-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi, Kenya. The authors declared that “they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.†Funding for this research was provided by Biovision Foundation for Ecological Development, the Coop Sustainability Fund, the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Discussion and Results
“Based on the findings of our study, organic farming systems have the potential to achieve yields that match or exceed those of conventional farming systems, particularly in the long term when given adequate time for soil adaptation and improvement in soil fertility,†the authors write in the conclusion of their study.
Some additional key findings from this field trial include:
- Organic systems show steady improvement in fertility over time, with Org-High yields matching Conv-High yields, especially in less fertile soils in the Kandara site;
- At Kandara, Org-Low had the most stable yields out of the four farming systems; and
- Low-input systems have more consistent crop yields across all seasons of the trial, with authors noting this to be a particular feature of organically managed systems.
Previous Research and Actions
There is increasing evidence that organically managed crop production systems are more sustainable than chemical-intensive fields, or those that operate under the model of pesticide reduction, in terms of biodiversity, public health, and climate mitigation.
The Rodale Institute, Ohio State University, and Tennessee State University determined in a recent study based on field trials that organic grain cropping systems contain higher concentrations of total nitrogen and soil organic carbon, exceeding those found in conventional, chemical-intensive systems. (See Daily News here.) This study is an extension of the Rodale Institute’s Farming System Trial (FST), a 40-year-long field study published in 2020 with the overarching goal of “[a]ddress[ing] the barriers to the adoption of organic farming by farmers across the country.†The FST finds:
- Organic systems achieve 3–6 times the profit of conventional production;
- Yields for the organic approach are competitive with those of conventional systems (after a five-year transition period);
- Organic yields during stressful drought periods are 40% higher than conventional yields;
- Organic systems leach no toxic compounds into nearby waterways (unlike pesticide-intensive conventional farming;
- Organic systems use 45% less energy than conventional; and
- Organic systems emit 40% less carbon into the atmosphere.
For more information and background on Rodale Institute, please consider reading the Daily News announcing the findings of the FST, Longest Field Trials Show Organic Practices Yield Higher Returns than Chemical-Intensive Agriculture.
The production of organic bananas in the Caribbean nation of Martinique was determined to outcompete chemical-intensive counterparts in terms of microbial decomposition, according to research by the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development. “Macrofaunal decomposition was increased more (55%) than microbial decomposition (20%), indicating that organic farming removes a constraint of conventional farming, especially affecting macrofauna,†the researchers say. (See Daily News here.) A literature review published in Ecosystem Services by researchers at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and Rodale Institute European Regenerative Organic Center drew similar conclusions on the ecological and soil health benefits of regenerative organic agriculture (ROAg). In comparison to chemical-intensive farming, ROAg increases soil organic content by 22 percent, soil total nitrogen by 28 percent, and soil microbial biomass carbon by 133 percent, according to the research. (See Daily News here.) In terms of another popularly consumed crop, certified organic coffee producers in Peru have been found to have a lower carbon footprint than transitional organic coffee farmers, based on “cradle to gate†analysis of ten farms in an organic coffee collaborative in the Cajamarca region. (See Daily News here.)
There are successful alternatives developed for crops previously deemed to be economically infeasible to grow in organic systems, including cotton and hops (for beer). The Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) earned the 2024 Innovators Award from The Better Cotton Initiative (Better Cotton) for its leadership in developing capacity and expansion of organic standards and practices in the Pakistani cotton sector, according to a press release by Better Cotton. Given that the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency attributes approximately 69% of total domestic agricultural pesticide use to cotton, it is understandable why the government is looking to address pesticide-free alternatives. (See Daily News here.) Developing robust statutory language through Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) includes “continuous improvement,†based on public and producer input working as intended. Listening to the facts, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) passed a recommendation to remove hops from 7 CFR § 205.606 (Nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed as ingredients in or on processed products labeled as “organicâ€) under OFPA. This gave breweries time to transition organic labeled beer to organically grown hops without breaking existing production contracts with nonorganic growers. (See Daily News here.)
Kenya, like many Global South nations across the globe, is reckoning with the legacy of Green Revolution-style policies and approaches to land management, leading some political momentum toward organic and tougher regulations on pesticides more broadly. According to reporting by The Kenya Times in late June, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) moved forward to ban 77 pesticide products, and restricted the use of 202 other products, not approved for use in the European Union, Canada, and the United States, citing public health risks. These pesticide active ingredients, including Acephate, Chlorothalonil, Diuron, and Thiacloprid, were deemed by the PCPB to impose “unacceptable risks†to human and ecological health. Earlier this year, “[T]he Kenya Court of Appeal blocked the Kenyan government from importing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country[,]†according to a press release by Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)—an alliance of organizations and movements across the continent advocating for agroecology and food sovereignty. (See Daily News here.)
Call to Action for Organic
It is time to contact our elected officials to demand structural changes to food and land management systems, including the incentive structures in place that perpetuate the chemical-intensive status quo. You can take action here by telling Congress to urgently transition away from petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer use and call for an across-the-board shift to organic regenerative land management systems.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides. Â
