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The Organic Green Revolution

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The Organic Green Revolution The Organic Green Revolution Tim LaSalle, PhD, CEO Rodale Institute Paul Hepperly, PhD, Director of Research, Rodale Institute Amadou Diop, PhD, Director of International Programs, Rodale Institute ©2008 Rodale Institute Introduction Not only can We can feed the world and must restore ecological health to our planet. To do this we need to launch an Organic Green Revolution – that fundamentally organic agri- changes the way we grow our food to maximize yield while mitigating cli- mate change, restoring clean water, building soils, and protecting agricultural production during times of drought. culture feed The new Organic Green Revolution will mark a dramatic change, moving from unsustainable, increasingly unaffordable and petroleum-based and the world, toxic fertilizers and pesticides, to organic regenerative farming systems that sustain and improve the health of our world population, our soil and our environment. according to While feeding the hungry has always been a challenging global issue, the the UN En- juxtaposition of the food price, fuel price and financial crises of this past year have disproportionately hurt the world’s most vulnerable - plunging an addi- tional 77 million people into malnutrition, according to the Food and Agricul- vironment ture Organization (FAO). Now more than ever before we need a paradigm shift rather than incremental change in the way we grow, buy and eat our food. The Organic Green Revolution provides that needed shift. Programme Not only can organic agriculture feed the world, according to the UN Envi- ronment Programme (UNEP) in a report released in October, it may be the (UNEP) in only way we can solve the growing problem of hunger in developing coun- tries. UNEP states that its extensive study “challenges the popular myth that a report re- organic agriculture cannot increase agricultural productivity.” UNEP reported that organic practices in Africa outperformed industrial, chemical-intensive conventional farming, and also provided environmental benefits such as im- leased in proved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought. This analysis of 114 farming projects in 24 African countries found that organic or near-organic practices resulted in a yield increase of more than 100 per- October, it cent. (UNEP “Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa,” 2008) Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, said the report “indicates that the potential contribu- tion of organic farming to feeding the world may be far higher than many may be the had supposed.” only way we These conclusions also confirmed findings and recommendations of the recently released report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) panel, an can solve intergovernmental process supported by over 400 experts under the co- sponsorship of the FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and WHO (issued on 14 April 2008). The IAASTD report stated that “the way the grow- the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse.” The ing problem authors found that progress in agriculture has reaped very unequal benefits and has come at a high social and environmental cost and food producers of hunger in should try using “natural processes” like crop rotation and organic fertilizers. The authors call for more attention to small-scale farmers and utilization of sustainable agricultural practices, specifically mentioning organic farming as developing an option several times. countries. The industrial Green Revolution has not, and cannot, feed the world. Instead of helping people feed them- selves, it has created a cycle of dependency. In a world of 6.5 billion people, some 923 million people are se- riously undernourished (FAO SOFI Report 2007) with more than two billion people suffering from micronutri- ent malnutrition, or ‘hidden hunger’ caused by inadequate and non-diversified diets (FAO SOFI Report 2002). 25,000 men, women and children die each day from starvation (World Health Report 2000). Experts project that the world food supply will need to double again over the next 40 years to feed our planet’s population. Based upon the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation, the industrial Green Revolution worked only as long as fuel was cheap and water was abundant. The transitory benefits of increased short-term food production have come at too great an ecological price as carbon is extracted from the soil and emitted as global-warming carbon dioxide in our air instead of remaining in the soil to nurture crops. Petroleum-based fertilizers and chemical pesticides have also polluted our water and poisoned our environment, food, and people. Fortunately, the latest scientific approaches in organic agriculture, supported by a body of replicated research data and economic analyses, offer affordable and quickly adaptable ways to implement farming systems that can quickly move us out of our current crisis. Section One: Regenerative Organic Farming—The True Green Revolution Organic farming methods are regenerative because they restore nutrients and carbon to the soil, resulting in higher nutrient density in crops and increased yields. Organic regenerative farming practices are designed to integrate agro-ecological systems and biological processes, ultimately fueled by the sun. A regenerative system improves the capacity of the farming systems we are using. When properly managed with respect to local conditions, a natural, organic system will: UÊVÀi>ÃiÊ}L>ÊÞi`ð UÊ«ÀÛiÊ>`>«Ì>LÌÞÊÌÊV>ÌiÊV >}iÊLÞÊ«ÀÛ}Ê`ÀÕ} ÌÊ>`Êy`ÊÀiÃÃÌ>Vi°Ê UÊ «ÜiÀÊÌ iÊÜÀ`½ÃÊ«ÀiÃÌÊv>ÀiÀÃÊÌ ÀÕ} Ê>ÊÃÕÃÌ>>LiÊÃÞÃÌiÊÌ >ÌÊ`iÃÊÌÊ`i«i`ÊÊ unaffordable chemical and petroleum-based inputs. UÊVÀi>ÃiÊÌ iÊV>ÀLÊVÌiÌÊvÊÌ iÊÃ]ÊÌ iÀiLÞÊ«ÀÛ}ÊÌÃʵÕ>ÌÞÊ>`ÊV>«>VÌÞ° UÊ*ÀÌiÊ Õ>Ê i>Ì Ê>`ÊÜiLi}ÊÌ ÀÕ} Ê}Ài>ÌiÀÊ>VViÃÃÊÌÊÀiÊÕÌÀiÌ`iÃiÊv`ÊvÀÊ>Ê wider variety of crops. By contrast, chemically-based degenerative farming systems lead to declines in resource abundance and environmental quality, leaving natural systems in worse shape than they were originally by depleting soils and damaging the environment. Because regenerative organic agriculture uses local and regional resources in natural systems, even small-scale farmers can be self-sufficient – a great benefit to the farmers and their local customers seeking fresh, nutritious food. Conventional Green Revolution practices using petroleum-based and chemical inputs have been shown to cause continual loss of soil nutrients, soil organic matter and food nutrient content. These practices con- sume vast quantities of natural resources to prepare, distribute, and apply fossil fuel inputs, and can justly be defined as degenerative farming. With increased population pressures and declining ecological support systems of healthy soil and water, the only sustainable and restorative option available is one based on the biologically-enhancing production models of organic farming. Some of the conclusions from the October 2008 UNEP report included: UÊ"À}>VÊ«À>VÌViÃÊÀiÃÕÌi`ÊÊ«iÀÊ iVÌ>ÀiÊv`ÊVÀ«Ê«À`ÕVÌÛÌÞÊVÀi>Ãið UÊ"À}>VÊ«À`ÕVÌÊ>ÜÃÊv>ÀiÀÃÊ>VViÃÃÊÌÊ>ÀiÌÃ]Êi>L}ÊÌ iÊÌÊLÌ>Ê«ÀiÕÊ«ÀViÃÊvÀÊ their produce, as well as increased access to good quality, organic food for the entire community. UÊ"À}>VÊ>`Êi>ÀÀ}>VÊ>}ÀVÕÌÕÀ>ÊiÌ `ÃÊ>`ÊÌiV }iÃÊ>ÀiÊ`i>ÞÊÃÕÌi`ÊvÀÊ>ÞÊ«À]Ê marginalized smallholder farmers in Africa or other developing nations. UÊ,iViÌÊv`«ÀViÊ iÃÊ>`ÊÀÃ}ÊvÕiÊ«ÀViÃÊ >ÛiÊ } } Ìi`ÊÌ iÊ«ÀÌ>ViÊvÊ>}Ê>}ÀVÕÌÕÀiÊ less energy- and external-input dependent. UÊ iÀÌwi`ÊÀ}>VÊ«À`ÕVÌÊvÀÊÌ iÊiÝ«ÀÌÊ>ÀiÌ]ÊÜÌ ÊÌÃÊ«ÀiÕÊ«ÀViÃ]ÊV>ÊÕ`ÕLÌi`ÞÊÀi`ÕViÊ poverty among farmers. UÊ"À}>VÊ>}ÀVÕÌÕÀ>ÊÃÞÃÌiÃÊ>ÀiÊ>}Ê>ÊÃ}wV>ÌÊVÌÀLÕÌÊÌÊÌ iÊÀi`ÕVÌÊvÊv`ÊÃiVÕÀÌÞÊ and poverty and improvement in rural livelihoods in areas of Africa. Section Two: Economic Sustainability of Organic Farming Systems Organic agriculture currently covers 31 million hectares (76.6 million acres) of cultivated land worldwide plus 62 million hectares (153.2 million acres) of certified wild harvest areas. (IFOAM 2007) Meta-analysis, a compilation and review of scientific literature, reveals that the yields from organic farming in developed countries are about the same as the yields from conventional agriculture. Furthermore, in some university-based research studies comparing conventional and organic practices, yields for organic produc- tion are slightly higher. -ÕV ÊÀiÃÕÌÃÊÀiyiVÌÊ«ÀÞÊÊVÛiÌ>Ê>}ÀVÕÌÕÀi°ÊÊVÛiÌ>Ê>}ÀVÕÌÕÀi]ÊÌ iÊÃÊÀ}>VÊ>ÌÌiÀÊ and microbiology have not been built back up to where their true potential can be assessed. In addition, these trials are often carried out by staff inexperienced in the application of organic practices in their region. (Transitioning and organic farmers often note that good organic production practices usually require time to navigate a learning curve and develop an understanding of local soils and climates.) In the developing world, organic yields vastly surpass yields from conventional agriculture by ratios of nearly 1.6 to 4.00. Worldwide across all foodstuffs, organic ratios outperform conventional agriculture by 1:3. Additional research studies and reports include a large-scale and comprehensive examination of yield data from 286 farms in 57 countries. The data show that small farmers increased their crop yields by an average of 79% by using environmentally sustainable techniques including organic farming and crop rotation. (Pretty et al. 2006) Another study of agriculture
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