ORGANIC FARMING OPENS DOORS
Organic farming methods could double or triple food production in developing countries.Researchers from Michigan University have found that in developed countries yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. However, in developing countries organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms as low-intensive methods on the same land. In addition to greater yields, researchers discovered that those yields could be accomplished using existing quantities of organic fertilizers, without putting more farmland into production.
Although it seems counterintuitive, in developing countries many farmers still do not have access to expensive fertilizers and pesticides available in developed countries, to produce those high yields. Apart from the belief that organic farming produces low yields, the other main objection to organic farming was the lack of organically acceptable nitrogen sources. Researchers looked at nitrogen availability by multiplying the current farm land area by the average amount of nitrogen available for production crops if so-called 'green manures' were planted between growing seasons. Green manures are cover crops which are plowed into the soil to provide natural soil amendments. They discovered that planting green manures between growing seasons provided enough nitrogen to replace synthetic fertilizers, and confirmed that organic farming is less environmentally harmful that conventional farming methods yet can potentially produce more than enough food.
Organic farming is important because conventional agriculture (involving high-yielding plants, mechanized tillage, synthetic fertilizers and biocides) is detrimental to the environment. Conventional farming causes soil erosion, greenhouse gas emission, increased pest resistance, and loss of biodiversity. Fertilizer runoff from conventional agriculture is also the chief culprit in creating dead zones - low oxygen areas where marine life cannot survive.
If you have any opinions you'd like to share on this article or would like to share your organic farming experiences please click on the "comments" link below!
This article used and cited information from the following source. Visit this website for more information: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=5936
(Article 'Organic Farming Can Feed The World'. University of Michigan website - School of Natural Resources and Environment )
Organic farming methods could double or triple food production in developing countries.Researchers from Michigan University have found that in developed countries yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. However, in developing countries organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms as low-intensive methods on the same land. In addition to greater yields, researchers discovered that those yields could be accomplished using existing quantities of organic fertilizers, without putting more farmland into production.
Although it seems counterintuitive, in developing countries many farmers still do not have access to expensive fertilizers and pesticides available in developed countries, to produce those high yields. Apart from the belief that organic farming produces low yields, the other main objection to organic farming was the lack of organically acceptable nitrogen sources. Researchers looked at nitrogen availability by multiplying the current farm land area by the average amount of nitrogen available for production crops if so-called 'green manures' were planted between growing seasons. Green manures are cover crops which are plowed into the soil to provide natural soil amendments. They discovered that planting green manures between growing seasons provided enough nitrogen to replace synthetic fertilizers, and confirmed that organic farming is less environmentally harmful that conventional farming methods yet can potentially produce more than enough food.
Organic farming is important because conventional agriculture (involving high-yielding plants, mechanized tillage, synthetic fertilizers and biocides) is detrimental to the environment. Conventional farming causes soil erosion, greenhouse gas emission, increased pest resistance, and loss of biodiversity. Fertilizer runoff from conventional agriculture is also the chief culprit in creating dead zones - low oxygen areas where marine life cannot survive.
If you have any opinions you'd like to share on this article or would like to share your organic farming experiences please click on the "comments" link below!
This article used and cited information from the following source. Visit this website for more information: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=5936
(Article 'Organic Farming Can Feed The World'. University of Michigan website - School of Natural Resources and Environment )
posted by teachamantofish at
3:56 AM
3 Comments:
Organic can feed the world is not to the universities but not to those of us "in the real world". Below is how:
"There's this belief that in order to stop poverty, we have to find ways to get people to stop being farmers. What we need to do is find ways to stop them from being poor farmers." Amy Smith, MIT
Organic, no-till, whether gardening or mini-farming by hand and/or using hand power tools or with equipment, is the proven way to produce food. [onestrawrevolution.net, Ruth Stout books] It can feed the world's population regardless of how high it goes.
Fukaoka Farm, Japan, has been no-till [rice, small grains, vegetables] for 70 years. At the time of my visits, an Indian farmer has been no-till [vegetables] for 5 years, a Malawi farmer has been no-till [vegetables] on permanent beds for 25 years and a Honduras farmer has been no-till [vegetables & fruit] on permanent beds on the contour (73° slope] for 8 years. Ruth Stout [USA] had a no-till garden for 30 years and 7,000 people visited her garden. No water runoff, few weeds, high yields, little labor, etc. Free DVD available.
No technique yet devised by man has been anywhere near as effective at halting soil erosion and making food production truly sustainable as 0-tillage (Baker)
1. Increase the soil’s organic matter every year.
2. Little or no external inputs [It is not necessary to buy anything, from anybody.]
3. Leave crop residue on top of soil. No burning. You are burning up fertilizer. Do not plow it into the soil.
4. Plant green manure/cover crops to increase the soil organic matter. Seeds are available in every country.
5. Plant the new crop in the crop residue by opening up a row or a place for the seed.
6. Plant every field every year [no fallow land]
7. 0-tillage: no plowing, no digging, no cultivating. No hard physical labor required so children and the elderly can farm easily. After two or three years the yields can double while reducing the labor by half compared to traditional farming. Farmers farm ten acres alone using hand tools only [Honduras]
8. Tree crops: fruit, nuts, coffee [shade-grown], etc. Use perennial cover crops
9. Permanent paths [walking]
10. Permanent beds. They were used 2000 BC in Guatemala, Mexico and many other coun-tries. 15-25% of the land is in paths and that saves 15-25% of the seed, water and labor but yields will be higher.
11. Hand tools: machete, weed cutter, seeding hoe. Local blacksmith should make them.
12. Soil always covered. Never leave the soil bare.
13. No compost making. Use the organic matter for mulch. If there is an excess, pile it up and use later.
14. Vermiculture: Not necessary; too much labor. Do it in the soil in the fields.
15. SRI - system of rice intensification. Double yields, reduces water requirements by 50% and reduces labor.
16. SRI for other crops: sugar cane, finger millet, cotton, wheat, mustard.
17. Bucket drip irrigation should be used during the dry season and in areas of low rainfall: Imported bucket drip kits are US$15. A bucket drip line can be made locally from poly tubing [US$3, Nicaragua]. One will irrigate a row of crops 33 meters long using only 20 liters of water per day. A dripline can be moved to irrigate several rows per day. Water can be from a stream, pond or well. A drip kit returns $20 per month to the farmer [FAO study].
Ken Hargesheimer minifarms@gmail.com
Definitely agree Ken!
Organic farming is the way forward. There was a recent conference of IFOAM (the international federation of organic agriculture movements) who were speaking out against the recent UN-FAO food crisis summit. IFOAM criticised the FAO for promoting chemical fertilisers and GM crops rather than organic solutions to tackle world hunger. Please see the following link for the full article and comments:
http://aspirantlocavore.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/organic-farming-can-feed-the-world-and-small-farms-best-for-the-environment/
In addition The "Green revolution" in India in the 1960's and 1970's can hold important lessons for Africa's small farmers according to Dr. Vandana Shiva, Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy based in New Delhi. Dr. Shiva, an environmental activist who strongly opposed the Green Revolution argues that although the Green Revolution did indeed increase yields of crops, it is not a sustainable form of agriculture. The large number of inputs required such as pesticides and fertiliser has meant that farmers sink further into debt and as such there has been an increase in farmer suicides in the Indian countryside. In addition, this intensive system of agriculture has caused ecological breakdown of the soil and water systems. Please see the following article for full details;
http://www.foodfirst.org/node/1626/print
Organic farming is a new name for an old practice among many indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region, Philippines. For many years, indigenous peoples called Igorots, maintained ricefields fertilized with composted pig manure called "lumeng". This is mixed with rice straw and during planting, the manure is spread in the ricefields together with wild sunflower. (Tithanium divesifolium). The Igorots also have been using the nitrogen-fixing algae, an aquatic fern to help fertilize their rice with nitrogen before scientists claimed they discovered it.
In the homes of Igorots are home gardens which are a misture of vegetables,medicinalplants and spices.
It is sad however that these indigenous sustainable practices are being lost to cash crop industry. PINE TREE is one of the few NGOs in the region still promoting homegardens and organic gardening.
Michael A. Bengwayan, Ph.D
Director
PINE TREE
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