Environment and Society

What is behind the growth in organic farming?

Organic farming is undergoing such an expansion for three main reasons:

Consumers and the market: In deliberately choosing to buy organic foods resulting from the application of organic standards to their production, processing, handling and marketing procedures, consumers have clearly chosen to encourage this sector of the agricultural market. Consumers trust the labels and identification marks used by certifying bodies properly accredited by competent authorities in each country.

Services: In certain countries there are subsidies available to organic agriculture (i.e.: the European Union). These result in the creation of goods and services that benefit both the environment and society (i.e.: less groundwater pollution or land that supports greater organic diversity).

Farmers: Certain farmers are persuaded that the sustainability if traditional agriculture is very limited, and thus have adopted different modes of production in order to improve the health of those close to them, that of the agricultural economy and/or their own ability to secure a certain degree of autonomy. In many developing countries, organic agriculture is also seen as a means of reinforcing food security and reducing the cost of inputs.

How does organic agriculture preserve the environment?

Long-term sustainability. Many environmental changes take place over long periods, given the gradual pace at which they take place. In organic agriculture, consideration is given to how production methods will impact agrisystems over both the medium and long term. Food production and also the development of an ecological balance are targeted in order to reduce problems related to soil fertility and pests. In organic agriculture a proactive approach is preferable to handling problems on an ad-hoc basis.

Soils. The methods targeting soil quality maintenance are considered essential to organic agriculture. They include: crop rotation, intercropping, symbiotic association, cover crops, organic fertilizers and soil surface tilling. These methods are conductive to fauna and flora development in soils because they improve their composition and structures, and generally create a more stable system. This in turn stimulates nutritive and energy cycles within soils, leading to a better retention of nutrients and water, thus compensating for the absence of mineral fertilizers. These management techniques also play crucial roles in controlling soil erosion. Soils are exposed to factors causing erosion for shorter periods, soil biodiversity increases and nutrient loss decreases, thus contributing to soil maintenance and increased productivity. The transfer of nutrients derived from crop growth is generally compensated by the renewable resources generated by farm operations themselves. At times however organic soils do need to be enriched with potassium, phosphate, calcium, magnesium and trace minerals brought in from external sources.

Water. In many agricultural zones, fertilizer and synthesis pesticides pollute groundwater, thus leading to serious problems. In organic agriculture, these substances are prohibited and replaced by organic fertilizers (compost, manure, green energy) and by the use of a richer biodiversity (including cultivated species and permanent plants), thus promoting the improved soil structures and water infiltration. Properly managed organic agriculture systems mean that the soil has a greater capacity for preserving nutrients, and can therefore greatly reduce the risk of ground water pollution. In zones where pollution is a real problem, the conversion of the farmlands to organic agriculture is strongly encouraged as a means of soil reclamation (the French and German governments, have recommended this, for example)

Air. Organic agriculture decreases the consumption of nonrenewable energies by reducing the need for agrichemical products that require large amounts of fossil fuels. Through its ability to eliminate carbon from soils, organic agriculture also contributes to reducing the greenhouse gas effect and planet warming. Numerous management methods used in organic agriculture (minimal plowing, reintegration of crop wastes into soils, use of cover crops, rotation and a greater integration of nitrogen binding legumes) leads to increased amounts of carbon being returned to the soil, thus promoting productivity and encouraging carbon retention.

Biodiversity. Organic farmers are both protectors and users of biodiversity, at all levels. At the genetic level, organic farming encourages the use of both traditional and adapted seeds, since they are more resistant to disease and less sensitive to climatic shocks. At the species level, biodiversity in plant and animal associations in agricultural production optimize nutritive and energy cycles. At the ecosystem level, the preservation of natural zones within and on the periphery of organic fields, as well as the absence of chemicals permit the creation of habitats appropriate for wild fauna. Frequent introduction of underused species (often through crop rotation intended to increase soil fertility), reduces agri-biodiversity erosion, leading to a healthier genetic inheritance and providing a suitable foundation for any future adaptation. Structures built to provide shelter and food and also to eliminate pesticides will attract new or other colonizing species (permanent as well as migratory) towards organic agriculture zones, such as wild flora and fauna (birds) and organisms beneficial to organic systems (pollinators and predators that feed on pests).

Genetically modified organisms. The use of GMOs is forbidden at all stages of organic food production, processing or handling. Given the little we know about the consequences of GMOs on our environment and health, organic agriculture would rather be prudent and thus natural biodiversity is the preferred choice. The label ' organic' thus guarantees that GMOs were not intentionally used in producing and processing them. For traditional products, this guarantee that cannot be made, since most countries still have not decided to mention the presence of GMOs in foodstuffs. Given however the increasing use of GMOs in traditional agriculture and the manner in which these organisms spread throughout the environment (through pollen), it can no longer be guaranteed that organic agricultural products are completely GMO free. For a more extensive debate on GMOs, please consult the FAO document entitled: Genetically Modified Organisms: Consumers, Food Safety and the Environment.

Services rendered to environment. The impact of organic agriculture on natural resources promotes agrisystem interaction, a vital activity for agricultural production and nature conservation. Soil makeup, reclamation and stabilization, waste recycling, carbon retention, nutritive cycles, predation, pollination and habitat creation are among some of the services rendered to the environment. Through their purchasing power and by choosing organic products, consumers can also do their part in encouraging lower pollution levels. Moreover, organic agriculture also helps bring about reductions in natural resource degradation, present in traditional agriculture as an invisible cost.

Can organic farmers produce enough to feed everyone?

Enough food can be produced on our planet to nourish the entire population, but the real problem is providing food to all those who need it. In those areas where markets are marginalized, organic farmers can increase food production through better management of local resources, and without relying on external input or food distribution, domains in which they have very little and/or no access. While the organic management of natural resources may possibly substitute external agricultural input, note that land ownership still remains a major obstacle to the labor force investments needed in organic agriculture. Organic operations produce a variety of crops and raise various types of livestock, and they optimize the division of surfaces and inputs, thus reducing risks caused by low production levels or output losses in all sectors combined. This can have major implications on food safety and resilience. In rain-fed agricultural systems, when any environmental stress occurs, it has been shown that organic agriculture harvests exceed those based on traditional farming methods. Under certain conditions, commercial revenues from organic agriculture may contribute to stabilizing food supplies, due to increases in household incomes. On a global level however, even with the current know-how and technology available, organic farmers cannot produce enough to feed every person on the planet.

In terms of production, organic agricultural outputs are dependent on the agricultural management system that had been previously adopted. An extremely simplified version of the impact on output following conversion to organic agriculture shows that:

In industrialized countries, organic systems will lead to decreased output, with the percentage decrease depending on external inputs levels before conversion;

• In the so-called Green Revolution areas (irrigated land), conversion to organic agriculture leads to an almost similar output.
• In traditional rain-fed agriculture (with little external input), organic agriculture leads to increased output.

In fact, with multiple crop systems such as those developed by small and subsistence farmers, increased output will results when calculated in terms of total harvest per unit area. This increase is caused by a more effective use of nutrients, water and light along with a combination of other factors such as introducing new regenerative elements into farm operations (plants) and reducing losses due to pests and diseases. In organic operations outputs may increase when a traditional type agricultural system was previously in place, even though it was deteriorating. Results vary according to management skills and ecological know-how, but progress is expected in these areas as human abilities develop. This also depends on proper land tenure systems being in place. It can hardly be expected that people would invest in the land and soil improvements necessary if there were no guarantee that they could continue living on the land.