MAY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC The pros and cons of organic agriculture
by MARGARET EVANS Do you think that food that
is organically farmed is healthier? Cheaper? More expensive? Is organic farming kinder on the environment? Does it release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?
Research by MARGARET EVANS
There’s no doubt that
many people have strong feelings about organic food and organic farming methods. But are they accurate and do they really reflect the realities of this form of food production? Researchers at UBC undertook a study to find out and, while results showed that organic farming clearly has some benefits, it comes with costs and many uncertainties. “Organic agriculture is a topic that a lot of people care about,” says Verena Seufert, a geographer-ecologist with UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. “But, unfortunately, there are often more passionate opinions on this topic than there is scientific evidence to support these opinions. In our study, we wanted to examine some of the positive or negative claims on organic agriculture and better understand what we actually know. We wanted to provide more scientific evidence to the debate about organic agriculture so that, hopefully, we can have a more educated debate that is informed by the evidence.” To remain objective, the
researchers based their study on existing literature reviews wherever possible and evaluated the material across a wide swath of dimensions. The plan was to garner a more complete picture of the benefits and costs of organic farming. The study was global in scale and it addressed 26 different criteria, 14 of which the researchers could actually quantify.
“Some of the biggest challenges of organic agriculture are related to its lower yields,” says Seufert. “This affects the sustainability of organic agriculture as a lot of the environmental benefits of organic disappear if we control for lower yields and measure greenhouse gas emission per unit food produced. But the lower yields are also a problem for organic farmers.” She says that one
of the biggest challenges from a farmer’s perspective is that organic management typically requires more labour and more knowledge, especially in relation to crop yield. There is a need to understand how best to manage soil fertility and the best way to control weeds and pests organically. “In organic farming, you
have to manage an agro- ecosystem to provide nutrients to your crops or to provide pest or weed control while in conventional agriculture you simply apply chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides to do this job.” In addition, she says, even though organic management is more difficult and more knowledge-intensive, there is not a lot of research support for organic farmers. Most of the agricultural research and agricultural extension services are aimed at conventional farmers. There is a real need to increase research on organic agriculture so that farmers can manage their farms better and increase their yields. From a global
environmental standpoint, organic farming contributes to greater soil and water quality and higher diversity
hosting more bees, birds and butterflies. But, with typical yields producing 19% to 25% less than conventional farming, the environmental performance based on the amount of food produced per hectare brings the
For farmers across North America, Europe and India, the study showed that organic agriculture can be more profitable. In addition, farm workers benefit from less exposure to pesticides. But perhaps in the bigger
conditions on organic farms,” she says. “It also provides farmers with a better income due to the premium prices they receive. This is important given that 70% of small farmers in Canada have a negative income from
farming and do not
One of the biggest challenges from a farmer’s perspective is that organic management typically requires more labour and more knowledge, especially in relation to crop yield. There is a need to understand how best to manage soil fertility and the best way to control weeds and pests organically.
advantages into question as lower yields may demand more land clearing and habitat disturbance.
Benefits vary For consumers, benefits
vary. In countries where pesticide regulations are weak, organic food production can have direct beneficial consequences. But, according to Seufert, while organic food may have slightly higher levels of vitamins and micronutrients, scientists cannot confirm to what degree they improve health. And given that organic produce tends to be more expensive, they are frequently out of the reach of shoppers on a tight budget.
picture, the management habits of organic farmers can influence conventional agriculture through the values of crop rotation, composting, the use of cover crops and conservation tillage. Seufert says that only 1% of farmland worldwide is organically managed but its reach could be wider as more consumers demand organic, economical food that has been grown sustainably and for which workers are fairly compensated. “Organic agriculture works
well for farm workers as it reduces their exposure to toxic agro-chemicals even though we need to still improve other working
manage to make ends meet. Eating organic food provides benefits particularly to
consumers in low- income countries with weak pesticide regulations.”
Seufert plans further
research. “There are three key
research areas that I would like to examine next,” she says. “Firstly, I want to understand better how organic agriculture influences nitrogen loss from farms and how it changes nitrogen cycling. Secondly, I would like to do more research into how organic influences yield variability and what limits yields on organic farms. And, finally, I want to understand what the barriers are for farmers to adopt organic agriculture. Organic agriculture increases the profitability for farmers – so why don’t more farmers adopt organic management?”
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