Organic farms act as a refuge for wild plants, offsetting the loss of biodiversity on

conventional farms, a study suggests.

Fields around organic farms have more types of wild plants, providing benefits for
wildlife, say scientists.
The research is likely to fuel the debate over the environmental benefits of organic
farming.
Studies suggest that organic farming produces lower yields than conventional methods
but harbours more wildlife.
The new study, by researchers at the University of Swansea and institutes in France,
looked at fields sowed with winter wheat in the region of Poitou-Charente.
They found that organic farming led to higher weed diversity on surrounding
conventionally farmed fields.
"Wild plants are important for birds, bees and other farmland species," said Dr Luca
Borger of the department of biosciences at Swansea University.
"Organic farming has advantages in maintaining these, but even a mixture of organic
and non-organic farming in an area can help maintain this biodiversity.
"Even only 25% of fields being organically farmed can make a difference."

Food security
Farmland provides essential habitat for many animals but intensification of agriculture
has led to a loss of biodiversity.
However, in order to provide the extra food needed by the bigger human population of
the future, without destroying forests and wetlands, farming needs to be made
more intensive.
Supporters of organic farming say the method could be a potential compromise between
meeting food security needs and providing habitat for bees, birds and other wildlife.

The researchers say land-sharing between organic farms and non-organic farms could
have benefits for both crop production and biodiversity.
This theory needs to be tested in follow-up studies, they say.
The study is published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society of
London B- Biological Sciences.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32781136

Farming procedures have been in the news more than usual lately thanks to
the debate about GMOs. Genetically modified food is thought to have certain
health hazards, meaning that some are turning to organically grown food that
is GMO free to meet their health needs. Organic farming utilizes natural
methods and is chemical-free in the growth of fruits, vegetables, and even
livestock. These advantages, however, are sometimes off-set by the increased
cost that organic foods have. What are the other pros and cons of organic
farming?

Here Are the Pros of Organic Farming

Many people dont actually realize that organic farming is just as much about
the soil that is used to grow crops and livestock as it is about the final result
that is on their dinner table. Organic methods help to keep soil nutrient-rich,
allowing for continued cycles of land productivity. This is achieved through
crop rotation, natural fertilization methods, and chemical-free care.
Because there are no chemicals used in the process of organic farming, the
nutritional content of the foods being produced are often higher. The micronutrients that the combination of rich soil and a lack of chemicals provides can
lead to a much better standard of health. This is because chemicals often
caused produce to mature faster, thereby eliminating many of the nutrients
that the natural ripening process would create.

Here Are the Cons of Organic Farming

The primary reason why people choose not to consume organic foods is the
cost. Organic foods are often 20% higher in cost, if not more, and many
families simply cannot afford that additional burden. The reason why costs are
higher is because organic foods create a lower overall ratio of production.
Most organic products are not as resistant to heat or a lack of water, meaning
that a bad season will create a very low yield.
Organic foods are also not always available because they are grown in
season instead of through artificial methods. Though this issue is reduced
thanks to the current global transportation network of food products, some
foods simply arent available except for a specific time during the season. This
lack of demand causes people to then sometimes abandon that type of food
for something else they love that is available year-round.

Is Eating Organically Right For You?

Though there are higher costs associated with eating organic foods, there is
also a reduction of risk involved because of a lack of chemical exposure.
Combine that with the higher levels of micro-nutrients that are found in organic
foods and it creates a better eating environment for many of todays families. If
you can afford the costs, why not try eating organic foods for your next
grocery cycle to see if it makes a difference in your health.
The chances are good that the pros in organic foods are going to outweigh the
cons!

Can Organic Farming Feed the World?

9/21/2011
Best Food Facts received a question from www.fooddialogues.com asking Is it possible
to feed the worlds growing population primarily on organic production methods? We
asked Dr. Robert Paarlberg, the Betty Freyhof Johnson Class of 1944 Professor of Political
Science at Wellesley College and Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy
School, and Associate at Harvards Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, to respond.
Dr. Paarlberg, author of Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know(2010, Oxford
University Press),wrote on page 147:
It is no longer possible to feed the world with organic farming systems that exclude the use
of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. In the past century the population of the earth has increased
from 1.6 billion to more than 6 billion, and these larger numbers have been fed thanks to the
higher crop yields made possible by synthetic nitrogen (since the 1930s, wheat yields in
conventional farming have doubled). Vaclav Smil, an agronomist from the University of
Manitoba, calculates that synthetic fertilizers currently supply about 40 percent of all the
nitrogen used by crops around the world. Smil calculates that to replace this synthetic
nitrogen with organic nitrogen would require the manure production of approximately 7-8
billion additional cattle, roughly a five-fold increase from the current number of 1.3 billion.
He says the United States alone would have to accept nearly one billion additional animals
and an added two billion acres of forage crops to feed those animals, equal to all the land in
America except Alaska. Currently in the United States, less than 1 percent of cropped land is
certified organic. Certified organic corn producers in the United States get yields only 75%
as high as non-organic producers. Organic production methods require significantly more
land and labor than non-organic methods.
Advocates for organic farming, such as the International Federation of Organic Agricultural
Movements (IFOAM), do not address the problem this way. They assert that organic practices
can increase yields, based on farming projects they have carried out in some of the worlds
hungriest regions, such as Africa. Organic methods do produce yield gains in Africa, if
compared to no improved methods at all, but in Africa the most productive methods for
restoring soil nutrients usually include a combination of both organic matter and synthetic
nitrogen, and the organic standard makes such combinations impossible to use. Organic

farming has expanded in Africa recently, but mostly to supply export markets (certified
organic products destined for supermarkets in Europe) rather than to provide for local food
consumption.

We asked Dr. Paarlberg a few more questions about organic farming.

Why does organic farming require more land and labor?
Dr. Paarlberg: They require more land because average organic yields are lower than nonorganic yields, so to produce the same amount, you need more land. And, it requires more
labor because soil nutrient treatments on organic farms require a number of different steps
composting animal manure, for example, or mulching to control weeds, a number of laborintensive steps that arent required in conventional farming.
What are some of the pros and cons of organic farming?
Dr. Paarlberg: Organic prevents you from using some of the techniques that do the best job
of preserving the environment. Because organic yields are lower, you have to use more land
to get the same amount of food, and that takes land away from the environment you have
to cut more trees, or plow up more land, or disturb more wildlife habitat. Second, if youre an
organic grower, its much more difficult for you to adopt no-till farming practices. No-till
farming is the best method of protecting the soil, of conserving soil moisture, sequestering
carbon and avoiding soil erosion. No-till farming works best if youre using crops such as
Roundup Ready soybeans, for example, where you can control weeds by spraying
glyphosate. If youre not able to use no-till farming, you end up tilling the soil and using
more diesel fuel, which reduces soil moisture and promotes more soil erosion. Finally, if you
are using a certified organic system, you are not permitted to plant any geneticallyengineered seeds. Some of the genetically-engineered seeds now on the market such as Bt
corn and Bt cotton allow farmers to control insect damage without spraying any insecticide.
Some organic methods of pest control put naturally occurring insecticides in the field that
can harm non-target insects as well as target insects. The organic standard limits the things
you can do to protect the environment.

http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/food-for-thought/organic_feed_the_world