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Organics Can't Match Conventional Farm Yields
scibri writes "A comprehensive analysis published in Nature (abstract) suggests that organic farming could supply needs in some circumstances. But yields are lower than in conventional farming, so producing the bulk of the globe's diet will still require chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The meta-analysis reviewed 66 studies comparing the yields of 34 different crop species in organic and conventional farming systems. The researchers included only studies that assessed the total land area used, allowing them to compare crop yields per unit area. Many previous studies that have showed large yields for organic farming ignore the size of the area planted — which is often bigger than in conventional farming. Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices, though in some cases, notably with strawberries and soybeans, the gap is as small as 3%."
The Rodale Institute did a 30 year side-by-side study. They found that,
- initially, organic farms created less, as fertilizers and pesticide initially gave a conventional farms a boost. This disappeared over time, as conventional farming damages and degrades the soil, reducing yeilds.
- organic outperforms conventional in years of drought.
- organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system.
- organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient.
- conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases.
- organic farming systems are more profitable than conventional.
I am not sure where that last one came from (I haven't read the final report)
Organic farming doesn't exclude all vaccines. They are certainly discouraged, but can be used as needed. There is also a large difference between a child catching a preventable disease and an animal that was destined for a slaughterhouse being culled for a disease.
I'd like to see a citation that organic beef is where a lot of bovine diseases are, rather than the conventionally raised beef that generally live shoulder to shoulder with each other.
You think organic beef don't live "shoulder to shoulder" with each other?
I actually find that pretty funny, as I've worked on farms before.
There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
You obviously don't know much about organic farming, or you're trolling. It's really not about prices or quality, it's about preserving topsoil and eliminating harmful chemicals not only from the ecosystem, but from human and animal consumption. People in third-world countries will gladly pollute their backyards and fill their kids with all sorts of toxic chemicals because they don't know any better (look at China for instance). That shit builds up, and eventually they're left with infertile polluted soils and their kids are born with all sorts of defects and diseases. Ultimately they're destroying their land and their health. Most people don't really understand the long term consequences of our modern farming methods -- it's really quite bad and totally unsustainable. Read up a little bit before you open your mouth.