10 minute read
Climate-Smart Agriculture is Organic Agriculture
As the USDA rolls out funding opportunities for climate-smart agriculture this year, and with organic agriculture being specifically recognized and targeted for significant funding, it is important to understand and evaluate the various critiques of organic agriculture. To achieve a realistic perspective, we need to talk about what organic agriculture is, what it is not, and why climate-smart agriculture IS organic agriculture.
TILLAGE AS A TOOL
Is organic agriculture “a step back in time to Dust Bowl era agriculture,” relying on heavy tillage, and would widespread adoption of organic practices cause a repeat of that environmental disaster? Outside of the prohibited use of chemical substances, modern organic agriculture has little in common with the large-scale agricultural practices that caused the Dust Bowl, which would not have qualified as organic today. In fact, as farms began transitioning to modern conventional agriculture during that time, it was the departure from many of the hallmarks of sound agricultural practice that caused this disaster. Synthetic mineral fertilizers, prohibited in organic agriculture, were already in heavy use by that time. Diverse crop rotations and cover cropping, cornerstones of organic production, were being practiced less and less. Continuous wheat or corn production, with heavy fall tillage that left soil bare over the winter (typically period of greatest erosion potential across the Midwest) were not only common but encouraged.
While tillage is a tool in the organic farmer’s toolbox, it is meant to be used sparingly, and with an objective beyond preparing seed beds and killing weeds. It is done with the purpose of incorporating organic matter such as animal manure or green manure from cover crops that feeds the soil biology and builds its inherent fertility. Over the past few decades, agronomic research has proven that these methods work to build healthy soils, produce more resilient crops in times of stress, result in comparable yields over time, use less water, significantly lower energy and fertility inputs, and make farms more profitable (Liu et al, 2022; Schärer et al, 2022; Easwaran et al, 2021; Rodale Institute, 2011).
THE COMpLICATED CALCULATION OF YIELD
A more complicated aspect of organic agriculture is calculating the yields and the correlated land area required to produce enough food to feed the world. While this is a real and pragmatic concern, it is important to remember the reality is that we currently produce far more food than is consumed. What we have is a broken food system and food distribution problem which the current production model continues to perpetuate. This cannot be the solution. Food deserts in developed countries continue to be a problem and are especially concentrated in communites that have been historically underserved and discriminated against. At the same time, we are wasting 1.3 billion tons of edible food annually. Producing this massive amount of wasted food requires 28% of the world’s agricultural area (FAO, 2013) - a land footprint that would constitute the second largest country on earth. With this issue addressed properly, organic agriculture can feed the world and can do so rather easily. No form of agriculture can be climate-smart without a competently designed food system and well-informed consumers to support it.
So, how much land is needed to farm organically? This question is a hot topic in the corridors of government, university lecture halls, and around farm kitchen tables. Several compounding factors make this a complex answer. For example,
some organic farms have higher yields than their neighbors, others do not. There is a productivity risk during the initial years of transitioning to organic. There is decreased risk to productivity in organic production when climate disasters like flood and drought occur. Scientists and farmers alike are still trying to learn how resilience affects productivity.
Whether more or less land is needed for organic production is still being debated, but we know this is true: organic agriculture focuses on resource conservation at every turn. The only resource that widespread adoption of organic agriculture will increase is the number of farmers. If farming were a factory, one could measure efficiency by how many people we can feed per farmer. We believe that this is the wrong approach and that the more minds put to the task of feeding the people and stewarding the land, the better.
GROUND COVERS FOR CROp DIVERSITY AND SOIL HEALTH
According to the most recent survey conducted by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF, 2022), 90% of organic farms practice cover cropping compared to 10% of conventional farms. Cover crops on their own, through surface albedo changes among other factors, have a higher warming mitigation potential than no-till agriculture. By increasing ground cover and living roots, cover crops reduce soil vulnerability to wind and water erosion, and “increase the retention of nitrogen mineralized due to warming” (Kaye and Quemada, 2017). In addition, reliance on diverse crop rotations further increases organic systems’ diversity. It is this diversity that drives organic agriculture’s resilience by increasing “resistance to pest/disease incidence and weed infestation” and displaying “faster recovery after removal of the abiotic or biotic stress.” By increasing crop diversity, one will achieve higher yields, water, and nutrient efficiency at the system level (Liu et al, 2022). These resiliencies are what we will need for agriculture to continue thriving in a changing climate that brings unpredictable precipitation, earlier and later frost dates, flooding, wildfires, and droughts.
GREATER ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITH FEWER INpUTS
No system can be qualified as climate smart if it isn’t energy efficient. A crop rotation that includes legumes reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers thus lowering N2O and CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Crop diversity on its own has the potential to reduce agricultural system’s mean energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission (Liu et al, 2022; Alletto et al, 2022). In Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trial (FST), these fertilizer inputs represented 41% of the total energy usage in conventional systems. Production efficiency was 28% higher in the organic systems than in the conventional systems with the conventional no-till system being the least efficient in terms of energy use. Overall, organic systems consumed 45% less energy than conventional systems, which is a conservative figure given that other studies have estimat-
ed 60% less on average (Pelletier et al, 2008). The FST also found that conventional systems emitted nearly 40% more greenhouse gases (GHG) per pound of crop produced than the organic systems, and a study from Squalli, J. and G. Adamkiewicz, published in 2018, found that for every percentage increase in organic acreage there is a correlated decrease in GHG emissions. Organic farming is a global opportunity to transition away from antiquated systems that require large amounts of fossil fuel-based, synthetic nutrients.
DIVERSE, ORGANIC CROppING SYSTEMS HOLD MORE CARBON There is a sizeable body of evidence showing that “the quantity of additional organic carbon in soil under conventional no-till is relatively small” and that apparent increases result in large part simply from an altered depth distribution only concentrated near the surface. Furthermore, no matter how long no-till practices have been in place, any time that soil does need to be tilled, even lightly, for any number of agronomic reasons, any soil carbon benefit inherent in the no-till system is immediately and almost entirely lost. Conventional no-till is still somewhat “beneficial for soil quality and adaptation of agriculture to climate change, but its role in mitigation is widely overstated” (Powlson et al 2014). On the other hand, diverse organic cropping systems use little to no mineral inputs and maintain higher soil organic carbon levels (Marriott and Wander, 2006).
HELp GROW WIDESpREAD ADOpTION OF ORGANIC FARMING SYSTEMS
• Support Organic Practices: Farmers utilizing organic methods have by and large done an incredible job of modeling successful methods. Through their diligence, and through the work of supporting organizations, there is a clear set of principles and practices to follow that can be utilized in a wide variety of cropping systems that we know function to build healthy soils, produce healthy food, and foster a healthier population while also being the most energy efficient and climate-smart way to grow.
• Support Organic Research and Education: The above are all key factors that make developing and adopting diversified organic cropping systems a top priority for climate-smart agricultural policy-setting. It is important to recognize that we still do not fully understand the contribution of each agricultural system to climate change and their respective abilities to mitigate it. However, we cannot ignore the growing body of evidence which suggests that diversified cropping systems are more climate-resilient than the currently dominant monocultures.
With its reliance on such diversity, organic agriculture can feed people efficiently and equitably. We also acknowledge that not all organic agriculture is climate-smart and that details in management are incredibly important. But given its clear potential, we stress the importance for our institutions to invest in organic agriculture research and education to continue to improve those practices.
• Support Organic Farmers: With all of the aforementioned benefits, one might ask why a majority of farmers haven’t jumped on board already – but unfortunately it isn’t that simple. Running an organic operation is hard work; it requires a large investment, financially, but also physically and mentally, and a great shift in one’s way of thinking.
It calls for a much greater degree of attention, diligence, determination, and persistence. Problems require dynamic solutions with a systems approach that can sometimes take a few seasons to implement. It’s easy to fall back into farming from a chemical recipe and often financially risky in the short term to get off the pesticide treadmill. However, we need more farmers to take on that challenge, for the future of their farms, our environment, and food system. For such a change to happen at scale, we will need encouragement and support from our government and institutions.
The Ahimsä Alternative, Inc. For all things Neem & Karanja
100% Cold Pressed, Wild Harvested Neem Oil, Karanja Oil, Neem & Karanja Cake
BIOLOGICAL INSECTICIDE
100% Cold Pressed Neem Oil
Controls Aphids, Army Worms, Beetles, Stink bugs, Caterpillars, Leaf hoppers, Leaf miners, Whitefly, Mealy bugs, Midges, Nematodes, Spider mites, Weevils, Scale, Thrips. www.nimbiosys.com
NEEMESIS
Powerful protection against flies & other irritating critters!
NEEMESIS is a castor oil-based liquid with pure Neem Oil, Karanja Oil & other essential oils. Dilute 1 gallon with water or oil (or a combination of both) to make up to 12 gallons of finished product. Can be used in livestock rub oilers and back-pack sprayers. Suitable for application directly on livestock and stall/parlor areas. Order @www.neemresource.com or call 1-877-873-6336
Nathanael Gonzales Siemens, Nic Podoll, and Léa Vereecke make up the Regional Management team of Rodale Institute’s Consulting Department. They represent the Great Plains, Midwest, and Pacific regions, respectively. Their focus is to bring relevant research, funding, and technical support to farmers in their regions so that organic agriculture can continue to be a viable option for growers across the country.
REFERENCES
Pelletier, N., Arsenault, N. and P. Tyedmers. 2008. Scenario-modeling potential eco-efficiency gains from a transition to organic agriculture: Life cycle perspectives on Canadian canola, corn, soy and wheat production. Environmental Management, 42.
Chang Liu, Daniel Plaza-Bonilla, Jeffrey A. Coulter, H. Randy Kutcher, Hugh J. Beckie, Li Wang, Jean-Baptiste Floc’h, Chantal Hamel, Kadambot H.M. Siddique, Lingling Li, Yantai Gan. 2022. Chapter Six - Diversifying crop rotations enhances agroecosystem services and resilience. Advances in Agronomy, 173.
Marie-Louise Schärer, Lars Dietrich, Dominika Kundel, Paul Mäder, Ansgar Kahmen. 2022. Reduced plant water use can explain higher soil moisture in organic compared to conventional farming systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 332. Rasu Eeswaran, A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi, Steven R. Miller. 2021. Evaluating the climate resilience in terms of profitability and risk for a long-term corn-soybean-wheat rotation under different treatment systems. Climate Risk Management, 32.
Squalli, J. and G. Adamkiewicz. 2018. Organic farming and greenhouse gas emissions: A longitudinal U.S. state-level study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 192.
Powlson, D., Stirling, C., Jat, M. et al. 2014. Limited potential of no-till agriculture for climate change mitigation. Nature Climate Change, 4.
FAO. 2013. Food wastage footprint, Impacts on natural resources, Summary report.
OFRF. 2022. 2022 National Organic Research Agenda
Rodale Institute. 2011. The Farming Systems Trial, Celebrating 30 years.
Marriott E.E., Wander M. 2006. Qualitative and quantitative differences in particulate organic matter fractions in organic and conventional farming systems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 38 (7).
Organic seed for the whole farm, from people committed to organic agriculture.
Corn & Soybeans • Cover Crops • Forages • Small Grains • Conservation • Lawn
We are excited to announce that Albert Lea Seed has purchased Blue River Organic Seed. Over the next two years, we will be integrating the Viking & Blue River brands into one combined national organic seed brand. Visit alseed.com to learn more. 800.352.5247 | ALSEED.COM
