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In 2030, the world population is expected to reach 8.5 billion, in 2050, 9.7 billion and 11.2 billion in 2100. I am fairly certain that I won’t be around to witness that last homo-sapiens crowd. But I care about deeply about how those people will eat.
A recent new paper published in the journal Sustainable Agriculture Research examines results from six experiments comparing organic and conventional farming methods. The long-term experiments showed an increase in soil health, productivity, water quality and economic benefits for farmers when they employed organic systems. “These results suggest that organic farming practices have the potential to reduce nitrate leaching, foster carbon sequestration, and allow farmers to remain competitive in the marketplace,” the authors concluded.
Could the answer to our hungry and growing population be in organic farming?
Modern industrial conventional agricultural practices rely heavily on fossil fuels and chemical inputs. Many of these, such as GMO seed and feed, fertilizers and pesticides are expensive to purchase and maintain. Not only are they expensive, it has been shown that these methods ultimately contribute to soil degradation, water pollution and the loss of top soil.
Related on the SLP
If we invest in more technical education and access to organic farming methods, we can produce more food with ecological benefits. We need not further degrade our environment at the expense of food and farming.
Organic farming is important to many of us in the U.S. but it is imperative to those in the developing world.
Read full, original post: Will Organic Agriculture Feed the World?
