{"id":17469,"date":"2016-02-11T00:00:03","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T04:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=17469"},"modified":"2016-02-11T10:39:16","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T14:39:16","slug":"organic-agriculture-essential-to-a-sustainable-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/02\/organic-agriculture-essential-to-a-sustainable-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic Agriculture Essential to a Sustainable Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, February 4, 2016)<\/em> Last week, two Washington State University (WSU) researchers published a review study in the journal Nature Plants<\/a> that deemed organic agriculture as a necessary tool for feeding the global population sustainably. In their review, which analyzed hundreds of studies about organic and conventional agriculture, soil science and agroecology professor John Reganold, Ph.D., and doctoral candidate Jonathan Wachter referred to organic agriculture as an untapped resource for feeding the Earth\u2019s population, \u201cespecially in the face of climate change and other global challenges.\u201d Using over 40 years of science, this study, entitled \u201cOrganic Agriculture in the 21st<\/sup> Century<\/a>,\u201d aptly refers to organic agriculture as the solution to the globe\u2019s current and future food crises and conventional farming as an undeniable catalyst in the Earth\u2019s demise.<\/p>\n

\"Comparison<\/a>

Comparison chart of ecological, environmental, and economic benefits in conventional and organic agriculture (click to see larger image)<\/p><\/div>\n

In his blog post about the new study<\/a>, Dr. Reganold explains the recent increase in agreement about the benefits and necessities of organic agriculture: \u201cHundreds of \u00a0scientific studies \u00a0now show that organic agriculture can produce sufficient yields, is \u00a0profitable for farmers, protects and improves the environment, and is \u00a0safer for farmworkers. Thirty years ago, there were just a couple of handfuls of \u00a0studies comparing organic with conventional agriculture. In the last 15 years, the number of these kinds of studies has skyrocketed.\u201d Using those studies, Dr. Reganold and Mr. Wachter compared organic and conventional agriculture across the four goals of sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences \u2014productivity, economics, environment, and social well-being.<\/p>\n

The study addresses critics of organic agriculture, who believe that \u00a0chemical-intensive \u00a0agriculture produces higher yields \u00a0than organic. \u00a0However, while Dr. Reganold notes that \u00a0organic agriculture may produce about 10 to 20 percent less than its chemical-intensive counterpart, it thrives in environmental advantages. According to the WSU press release<\/a> on the study, \u201cNumerous studies in the review also prove the environmental benefits of organic production. Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality and reduce soil erosion. Organic agriculture creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it\u2019s more energy efficient because it doesn\u2019t rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the researchers argue that too much reliance is placed on the quantity of food rather than the quality and necessity. Dr. Reganold asserts that \u201cwe already produce enough food to more than feed the world\u2019s 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals.\u201d The study also points to changing global conditions that may affect the way conventional farmers improve their yield. For example, drought is an increasing concern for farmers and conventional agriculture struggles to keep up with its organic counterpart in that sense. The study argues that because of climate change, extreme drought conditions could bode disastrous for conventional farming systems, yet feasible for organic farms because soil retention is naturally higher. \u201cIn severe drought conditions, which are expected to increaase with climate change, organic farms have the potential to produce high yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils,\u201d Dr. Reganold said. On the same note, the study points to the numerous benefits of organically-managed soil, such as carbon storage, overall quality, and reduced erosion.<\/p>\n

One of the challenges \u00a0of organic agriculture is some of \u00a0the current policies governing organic farmers. The study acknowledges obstacles, such as \u201cthe costs of transitioning to organic certification, lack of access to labor and markets, and lack of appropriate infrastructure for storing and transporting food.\u201d \u00a0According to Dr. Reganold, policies should be put in place that:<\/p>\n