The future of organic agriculture

Occasionally, I’m asked to explain the important factors which convince me to believe that organic agriculture will ultimately succeed against the major investment and technologies which have structured contemporary models of food production. While my response is based on evidence obtained from practical studies, it also appeals to the intuitive wisdom of agricultural traditions throughout history.

There’s an old saying which suggests “..you won’t get more out of any field than the amount you’re prepared to put in..” Putting philosophy on hold for a moment, every farmer knows that a field requires work to maximise productivity. When there is no long-term strategy for soil replenishment, sooner or later the field must cease to be productive. In this sense, organic agriculture remains consistent with the successful traditions of food production throughout recorded history.

We’re often told that organic agriculture is inefficient. In many situations this is absolutely correct, and I’m the first to admit it. But as soon as you agree with their simple enough proposition, adherents of chemical based agriculture will often attempt to close in with the substance of their argument. They maintain that elimination of pesticides and other forms of chemical control must reduce yields to an extent that farming can no longer be profitable or sustainable over the longer term. In this sense, they are dismissive and at times contemptuous of the cultural controls and other husbandry strategies employed by organic producers.

There are many studies showing that yields obtained through commercial organic cultivation can match those where chemical inputs are employed. One reality with most agriculture is the need to restore nitrogen which is partially depleted with each harvest. Organic farmers generally respond by selective rotations and the application of green manures and other cover crops which actually replace and fix nitrogen within the soil.

Unlike the spreading of chemical fertiliser, cover cropping temporarily removes land from commercial production. This situation may be unacceptable where arable land is scarce or when economic imperative requires rapid returns on investment. Another impediment to organic agriculture is the tendency for wealthier nations to depend heavily upon consumption of animal based protein. Its no exaggeration to suggest that one kilogram of lean meat requires at least twenty kilograms of high quality grain. Under natural conditions, it’s almost impossible to replenish soil nitrogen at this rate.

The future of organic agriculture is beyond question provided we can understand and accommodate the need for arable land identification, soil replenishment, and longer term economic strategies.