Conventional vs Organic Farming: Beyond Food Production

Conventional vs organic farming – which one is better for us & for our environment? Let’s find holistic answers to this question by looking at every area of life that’s affected by farming.

When people think of farming, they will most probably think of the production of food. They will see images of herds of cattle, fields of wheat or fruit orchards before their eyes. They will think of farmers working the field, of lush countrysides and supermarkets eventually providing its products to us.

In one way, this imagery is true: farming is first and foremost about growing food for people. But the effects of agriculture stretch far beyond the visible and obvious. The very meaning of the word agri-culture, the culture of the land, implies that it affects the land, the water, the air, the flora and fauna, briefly the whole ecosystem in which it takes place. These are all things we won’t find on the shelves of our supermarkets. But we know well that they matter to society and nature as a whole. In economic language, these are called public goods.

Public goods from agriculture

Take, for example, the air that we breathe. We can’t live without oxygen, without clean air. Yet, you cannot buy clean air with money.

Public goods are essential for living on our planet.

They are usually difficult to grasp or quantify, yet have effects on human health, the stability of the ecosystem as a whole and economic welfare. And farming plays an important role in this, too.

It is the same as with environmental consequences from the industry, to name just one example. The greenhouse gases and pollution a factory in Ireland produces not only affect its immediate surroundings, such as the health of humans, plants and animals living around it. But they also contribute to climate change on a global scale, even to the remotest islands of our world.

More than money can buy

And as we know from conferences like the COP21 in Paris, measures to deter negative effects from climate change are costly. To national economies, as well as to the global economy.

In the same way, all the different practices of agriculture have an effect on the environment. We should care to take a look at them.

These effects can be negative, as well as positive.

Sadly, they have often been rather negative throughout the last decades. Nitrogen seepage, biodiversity loss and greenhouse-gas emissions are just some examples.

Often, organic agriculture is presented as a solution. They say it is more beneficial in terms of its environmental effects. In other words, organic farming provides public goods better than conventional farming does. Many scientific studies have been undertaken to see whether this is true or not.

So, is organic or conventional farming better for the environment?

Just recently, one study has been released on this topic. (1) The well-respected German Thünen Institute, that conducts scientific research on agriculture and the environment, has analysed over 500 studies of the last 30 years comparing 2800 pairs of conventional vs organic farming systems and the way they affect the environment.

Essentially, they studied 7 areas or public goods which are affected by farming to see whether organic or conventional farming performed better. These ‘public goods’ are: water protection, soil fertility, biodiversity, climate protection, climate adaption, resource efficiency and animal welfare.

Come join me, as I investigate their findings and combine them with my or other people’s personal experiences with farming! Soon, you’ll discover how crucially important it is for all of us to be well informed about these issues…

Let’s dive in (quite literally 😉) to discover the interconnectedness of water and farming!

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Sources:

(1) Sanders J, Hess J (eds) (2019) Leistungen des ökologischen Landbaus für Umwelt und Gesellschaft . Braunschweig: Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, 364 p, Thünen Rep 65, DOI:10.3220/REP1547040572000