Now our states need to write legislation making (at least) organic farming
of grains a priority over the gov’t subsidized corporate farming that the
chemical industry monopolizes; not ignoring the added value benefits of less
air & water pollution and energy conservation, at a time when we desperately need to
conserve natural resources. KwC
Organic
farming uses less energy for same yields
By Susan S. Lang, Cornell University News Service, Tuesday, July 26,
2005
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and
soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less energy, less
water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming trial study concludes.
David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and agriculture,
concludes, "Organic farming offers real advantages for such crops as corn
and soybeans." Pimentel is the lead author of a study that is published in
the July issue of Bioscience (Vol. 55:7) analyzing the environmental, energy and economic costs and benefits of growing soybeans and corn organically
versus conventionally. The study is a review of the Rodale Institute Farming
Systems Trial, the longest running comparison of organic vs. conventional
farming in the United States.
"Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average of 30
percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the soil, induce
less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more biological resources than
conventional farming does," Pimentel added.
The study compared a conventional farm that used recommended fertilizer and
pesticide applications with an organic animal-based farm (where manure was
applied) and an organic legume-based farm (that used a three-year rotation of
hairy vetch/corn and rye/soybeans and wheat). The two organic systems received
no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Inter-institutional collaboration included Rodale Institute agronomists Paul
Hepperly and Rita Seidel, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service research microbiologist David Douds Jr. and University of
Maryland agricultural economist James Hanson. The research compared soil fungi
activity, crop yields, energy efficiency, costs, organic matter changes over
time, nitrogen accumulation and nitrate leaching across organic and
conventional agricultural systems.
"First and foremost, we found that corn and soybean yields were the same
across the three systems," said Pimentel, who noted that although organic
corn yields were about one-third lower during the first four years of the
study, over time the organic systems produced higher yields, especially under
drought conditions. The
reason was that wind and water erosion degraded the soil on the conventional
farm while the soil on the organic farms steadily improved in organic matter,
moisture, microbial activity and other soil quality indicators.
The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain significant
amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global warming, Pimentel
said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic systems
increased by 15 to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about 3,500 pounds of carbon
dioxide per hectare out of the air.
Among the study's other findings:
- In the drought years, 1988
to 1998, corn yields in the legume-based system were 22 percent higher
than yields in the conventional system.
- The soil nitrogen levels in
the organic farming systems increased 8 to 15 percent. Nitrate leaching
was about equivalent in the organic and conventional farming systems.
- Organic farming reduced local and
regional groundwater pollution by not applying agricultural chemicals.
Pimentel noted that although cash crops cannot be grown as frequently
over time on organic farms because of the dependence on cultural practices to
supply nutrients and control pests and because labor costs average about 15
percent higher in organic farming systems, the higher prices that organic foods
command in the marketplace still make the net economic return per acre either equal to or higher than that of
conventionally produced crops.
Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and other
grains, Pimentel
said, but it might not be as favorable for growing such crops as grapes, apples, cherries and potatoes, which have greater pest problems.
The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review of current
literature on organic and conventional agriculture comparisons. According to
Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers reporting on research from the Rodale
Institute Farming Systems Trial have been published in prestigious refereed
journals over the past 20 years.
Article found at :
http://www.energybulletin.net/newswire.php?id=7426
Original article : http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July05/organic.farm.vs.other.ssl.html
Also See
Can Organic Farming
feed the world?
By Christos
Vasilikiotis, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley 2001)
Article found at http://www.energybulletin.net/1469.html;
Original http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~christos/articles/cv_organic_farming.html
GM super-weed discovered in UK field http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=357092&in_page_id=1774
