An assessment of
organic farming relative to conventional farming illustrates that
organic systems
better balance the four areas of sustainability.
(February 4, 2016) Washington
State University researchers have concluded that feeding a growing global
population with sustainability goals in mind is possible. Their review of
hundreds of published studies provides evidence that organic farming can
produce sufficient yields, be profitable for farmers, protect and improve the
environment and be safer for farm workers.
The review study, “Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century,”
is featured as the cover story for the February issue of the journal Nature
Plants and was authored by John Reganold, WSU regents professor of soil science
and agroecology, and doctoral candidate Jonathan Wachter.
It is the first study to analyze 40 years of science
comparing organic and conventional agriculture across the four goals of
sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences: productivity,
economics, environment and community well being.
“Hundreds of scientific studies now show that organic ag
should play a role in feeding the world” said lead author Reganold
(http://css.wsu.edu/people/faculty/john-p-reganold). “Thirty years ago, there
were just a couple handfuls of studies comparing organic agriculture with
conventional. In the last 15 years, these kinds of studies have skyrocketed.”