"But the findings from this study and similar ones are too simplistic and ignore important positive aspects of organic farming. We have analysed such studies and found that the method they often use doesn’t give the full picture.
Known as a life cycle assessment (LCA), this approach simply relates environmental impacts to the amount of product harvested from a given area of land. Looked at this way, intensive farming is often more efficient, since its yields are higher. But this doesn’t properly address all environmental aspects.
Such assessments fail to fully account for the role of land degradation, biodiversity decline and pesticide impacts of intensive agriculture.
Consider biodiversity, for example. The variety of life on Earth is an incredibly important factor in the health and resilience of ecosystems. But worldwide, it is in decline – insect and bird populations are being decimated, something that has been repeatedly linked to the damaging practices of intensive farming. Organically managed land, however, has been shown to support biodiversity levels around 30 per cent higher than conventionally farmed fields.
It might be argued that the land saved through conventional farming could be reserved for biodiversity and CO₂ absorption. But the relationship between agricultural intensification and reduced deforestation is unclear. In Brazil, for example, agricultural intensification has coincided with more deforestation.
Widespread use of pesticides is also a concern – between 1990 and 2015, global pesticide use has increased more than 70 per cent. Pesticide residues can be harmful to land and aquatic ecosystems, as well as our health. The avoidance of synthetic pesticides in organic farming, and the overall much lower levels of pesticide use in general, is a factor that is often overlooked in LCAs. In the 34 studies comparing organic with conventional agriculture that we reviewed, only nine looked at pesticide-related impacts."
Read more: All the reasons why organic food doesn’t deserve such bad press
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