Environmental impact of conventional vs. organic (#journal)

Environmental Impact of Different Agricultural Management Practices: Conventional vs. Organic Agriculture

This paper carries out a comparative review of the environmental performances of organic agriculture versus conventional farming. Under organic management soil loss is greatly reduced and soil organic matter content increases, soil biochemical and ecological characteristics appear improved, soils have a much higher water holding capacity and higher ability to store carbon in the soil, and organic farming systems  harbor a larger floral and faunal biodiversity than conventional systems. Organic agriculture has a higher energy efficiency (input/output) but, on average, exhibits lower yields and hence reduced productivity compared to conventional systems.

Organic yields average 80% of conventional (#journal)

The crop yield gap between organic and conventional agriculture

A key issue in the debate on the contribution of organic agriculture to the future of world agriculture is whether it can produce sufficient food to feed the world. This article analyzes 362 published organic–conventional comparative crop yields. Organic yields of individual crops averaged 80% of conventional yields, but variation was substantial (standard deviation 21%), with significant difference between crop groups and regions. The authors  suggest reasons for the gap and its high level of variation.

 

Food production beyond scarcity thinking (#journal)

Beyond the scarcity scare: reframing the discourse of hunger with an eco-mind

Solutions to world hunger continue to be impeded by a frame that keeps much of humanity focusing narrowly on quantitative growth. The result is greater food production and greater hunger. Yet, across the world another way of seeing, one grounded in the relational insights of ecology, is transforming food systems in ways that both enhance flora and fauna and strengthen human relationships, enabling farmers to gain a greater voice in food production and fairer access to the food produced.

Global land grabbing special issue (#journal)

Special Issue: JPS Forum on Global Land Grabbing Part 2: on methods

Seven articles which offer a wide range of perspectives on global land grabbing, including how it is being done, how we can measure it, and how it might be resisted.

The global food system analysed (book)

Food

Food is one of the most basic resources that humans need for daily survival. Forty percent of the world’s population gains a livelihood from agriculture and we all consume food. Yet control over this fundamental resource is concentrated in relatively few hands. At the same time, there are serious ecological consequences that stem from an increasingly industrial model of agriculture that has spread worldwide. But movements are emerging to challenge the dominant global system. The extent to which these alternative movements can displace it remains to be seen. This book aims to contribute to a fuller understanding of the forces that influence and shape the current global food system.