I have always loved the idea of organic agriculture but I have struggled with one big question: can we afford the decline in production? Of course, as long as we are feeding huge amounts of grain to cattle, the option to divert that grain to feeding people always exists. Reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma I began to wonder if it wasn’t possible to sustain production on organic or “post-organic” production systems. So I was thrilled to come across this report suggesting that organic agriculture could feed the world.
Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming on the same amount of land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing assumption that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.
Now I have to go and track down the original article.
H/T Meteor Blades at dKos.
Update: The original article was published in Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. There’s a more detailed review at New Scientist and a two-part story(part 1, part 2) at OrganicAuthority.com.
Filed under: Agriculture, Food
