ORGANIC IS PART OF THE SOLUTION

We live in a time defined by major climate change disruptions globally. We are faced with increasing extreme weather, species extinction, wildfire, drought, storms, record heat and declining water resources. Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), rural and economically insecure communities are most affected by climate-related disasters. The climate crisis represents an economic, environmental and social justice crisis for the entire world.

Agriculture is vulnerable to the current impacts of climate change. Further, we know that certain agricultural practices significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time to carefully consider lessons learned from 20th-century food production paradigms and rebuild a better, brighter food future. Organic, responsible and regenerative agriculture is a solution to climate change. Farmers can be a part of that solution. We can revitalize agriculture and mitigate climate change with technical knowledge, conservation and organic practices.

Organic agriculture utilizes holistic management systems that optimize production within the finite constraints of natural resources while protecting the health of people and the planet. It’s important to acknowledge that many climate-friendly practices, such as cover crops and rotational grazing, trace back to Indigenous, African and communities of color. These farmers worked the land harmoniously for centuries. They played a critical role in developing agricultural innovation that we now recognize as the core principles of organic, regenerative agriculture and land preservation.

The threat climate change poses to our future is bleak. It’s time we take bold, decisive action to ensure agriculture not only survives in the face of climate change but thrives. We can cultivate a compelling organic community by focusing on what organic supports and promotes – soil health, biodiversity, clean water, worker safety, economic opportunity and good food for all people.

Organic agriculture sequesters carbon by promoting soil health.

Organic standards require farming techniques that improve soil health. Cover cropping, crop rotation, organic soil amendments and conservation tillage benefit soil health. These practices increase soil health and help farms store more carbon in the soil than other farming methods. 5

Organic protects and enhances biodiversity and beneficial organisms.

Research shows organic production increases beneficial insect biodiversity without increasing pest insect diversity. 6 Promoting soil health increases soil biodiversity - sequestered carbon provides the foundation for beneficial microorganisms in the soil food web vital to decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Organic increases resilience.

High organic matter in the soil supports healthy crops. Healthy crops are less susceptible to drought and heat stress and foster diversity of organisms vital to soil health. Organically managed soils tend to have higher water-holding capacity, porosity and aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils, leading to yield advantages in extreme weather events, like droughts, record high temps and/or flooding. 7

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIC FARMING:

Organic farms have 30% more species.

Organic farms support up to 50% more pollinators than non-organic farms.

Organic farms use around 50% less new reactive nitrogen, a potent greenhouse gas.

Organic farms have more significant biological activity, greater soil stability, more biomass and higher diversity and sequester 26% more carbon than soils from non-organic farms.

Shade, J., Cattell Noll, L., Seufert, V. et al. Decreasing reactive nitrogen losses in organic agricultural systems. Org. Agr. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-020-00297-0.

Tuck, S. L. et al. 2013. “Land-use intensity and the effects of organic farming on biodiversity: a hierarchical meta-analysis.” Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365- 2664.12219

Cooper J.M. et al. 2016. Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a metaanalysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 36, 1–20.

Mäder, P., A. Fliessbach, D. Dubois, L. Gunst, P. Fried and U. Niggli 2002. Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science, 296, 1694-1697.

Lichtenbery, E. M. et al. 2017. A global synthesis of the effects of diversified farming systems on arthropod diversity within fields and across agricultural landscapes. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13714

Paul Maeder, Andreas Fliessbach, David DuBois, Lucie Gunst, Padruot Fried, Urs Niggli. “Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming.” Science. 31 May 2002: 1694-1697.