Organic Farming Can Feed The World

[SPN]

Contrary to the expensive PR put out by the people who sell Ag-Chem and GMO products, a new report from the University of Michigan demonstrates how Organic production can produce just as much food as the energy intensive methods - particularly in developing countries.

Organic farming can feed the world

Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods, said Ivette Perfecto, professor at U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment, and one the study's principal investigators. Catherine Badgley, research scientist in the Museum of Paleontology, is a co-author of the paper along with several current and former graduate and undergraduate students from U-M.

.....

Their findings refute those key arguments, Perfecto said, and confirm that organic farming is less environmentally harmful yet can potentially produce more than enough food. This is especially good news for developing countries, where it’s sometimes impossible to deliver food from outside, so farmers must supply their own. Yields in developing countries could increase dramatically by switching to organic farming, Perfecto said.

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"Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies—all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food," she said.

Not to be outdone, Teagasc Oakpark have developed a 7 year stockless organic rotation which is providing exceptional yields - particularly for potatoes.

Exciting New Disease Resistant Potato Varieties for Organic Farms

The organic research facility at Oak Park has evaluated organic crop production since 1999. Results from the trial involving a seven-year stockless rotation show that good grain and potato yields were achieved. Organically grown winter wheat yielded 7.2 tonnes per hectare in 2006 with winter oats yielding 6.2 tonnes per hectare. The early potato variety Orla yielded 21.2 tonnes per hectare while maincrop variety Setanta yielded 32.6 tonnes per hectare. In this stockless organic rotation, a two-year break crop of grass/clover, which is cut and mulched, is crucial to building up soil fertility. Cover crops are also used to prevent nitrates leaching into the subsoil.

The potential to increase the area of organic tillage in Ireland has been identified due to strong demand. Teagasc researchers estimate that there is a potential annual demand for at least 20,000 tonnes of organically produced cereals within the next five years compared to the 2,200 tonnes currently produced annually.

It's time!

[Ronanr]

It's time to do what exactly?

As organic food is more expensive than non-organic food in the shops, the majority of people will not buy it anyway, so all this means little.

Organically grown winter wheat yielded 7.2 tonnes per hectare in 2006 with winter oats yielding 6.2 tonnes per hectare.

What were the equivalent yields in non-organic winter wheat grown in the same area in that year?

And what were the comparable rates of weed infestation?


Ireland usually tends to have a fantastic yield in grains, compared to most other countries. The problem is we also tend to have a much bigger weed problem and a ruinous moisture content. (obviously organic would be at no disadvantage to non-organic in the moisture content issue, but weed infestation is another story)

So yield is not everything.

[Auditor #9]

This lovely thread only got one reply!

Some old dudes have cures for everything without using pesticides, chemicals, nothing. The older people are going to get fukked over by Micheál Martin, that Jack Lynch tunnel prk, by getting the age of retirement pushed out. They could some of them become consultants in organic farming.

Ireland needs to develop industries and culture around our food. WWOOF WWOOF!

[Akrasia]

There is a rapidly growing consensus amongst Rural and developmental sociologists as well as Agricultural scientists that small scale organic multiactivity farming is the most efficient and sustainable way to produce food, both in Developed and in Developing countries.

The 'maximise output' scenario is actually reducing farm incomes as the price of the inputs increases, while the price of their outputs (farm produce) falls as the market becomes saturated.

[david]

Twill come about once TEQs and C&C are adopted.