Viewpoint: Organic agriculture grain crisis?—What might be the impact if farming goes fully chemical-free organic?

[A] number of papers on going totally chemical-free suggest a significant impact. For instance, a meta-analysis from Nature concluded that organic farming systems typically have 20-25 per cent lower yields….

[A] study by the Rockefeller Foundation estimated that going fully organic could reduce global food output by around 30-40 per cent….

[A] report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [found] global grain production could decline by 40-50 per cent without significant improvements in organic farming techniques.

Take your pick as to the impact of going organic, but on average, between a third and half the world starves. But what about just taking out paraquat and glyphosate—the foundation chemicals for no-till farming?

The best estimates suggest global grain production would be reduced by 15 per cent […]

If government regulators reject science-based risk assessments and adopt a zero-risk approach, then one thing is certain—we will need to clear up to 100 million hectares of additional land, roughly the remaining uncleared area of the Amazon, to keep the world fed.

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