[Pil-pc-oceania] organic

[Martin Naylor]

An elemant of permaculture that can be used as scientific proof of it's validity as a sustainable practice as opposed to our present system, with oil at $105/barrell few can now doubt oil peak is here, couple this with soil degragation facts of our current farming methods, Senator F.H. Kings book Farmers of Forty centuries free on the net and the acuracies of his predictions
  will give a base of strong argument/debate or a foundation to explore possibilities, 
  "Problems we have created can not be solved with old ways of thinking" Einstien
  martin
   
  Organic farming produces same corn and soybean yields as conventional
 farms,
but consumes less energy and no pesticides, study finds

http://www.news.cornell.edu

By Susan S. Lang <ssl4 at cornell.edu>

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Organic farming produces the same yields of corn and
soybeans as does conventional farming, but uses 30 percent less energy,
 less
water and no pesticides, a review of a 22-year farming trial study
concludes.

David Pimentel, a Cornell University professor of ecology and
 agriculture,
concludes, "Organic farming offers re
consultant-ngo at yahoogroups.comaladvantages for such crops as corn and
soybeans." Pimentel is the lead author
of a study that is published in the July issue of Bioscience (Vol.
 55:7)
analyzing the environmental, energy and economic costs and benefits of
growing soybeans and corn organically versus conventionally. The study
 is a
review of the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial, the longest
 running
comparison of organic vs. conventional farming in the United States.

"Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an average of
 30
percent less fossil energy but also conserve more water in the soil,
 induce
less erosion, maintain soil quality and conserve more biological
 resources
than conventional farming does," Pimentel added.

The study compared a conventional farm that used recommended fertilizer
 and
pesticide applications with an organic animal-based farm (where manure
 was
applied) and an organic legume-based farm (that used a three-year
 rotation
of hairy vetch/corn and rye/soybeans and wheat). The two organic
 systems
received no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Inter-institutional collaboration included Rodale Institute agronomists
 Paul
Hepperly and Rita Seidel, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service research microbiologist David Douds Jr. and University
 of
Maryland agricultural economist James Hanson. The research compared
 soil
fungi activity, crop yields, energy efficiency, costs, organic matter
changes over time, nitrogen accumulation and nitrate leaching across
 organic
and conventional agricultural systems.

"First and foremost, we found that corn and soybean yields were the
 same
across the three systems," said Pimentel, who noted that although
 organic
corn yields were about one-third lower during the first four years of
 the
study, over time the organic systems produced higher yields, especially
under drought conditions. The reason was that wind and water erosion
degraded the soil on the conventional farm while the soil on the
 organic
farms steadily improved in organic matter, moisture, microbial activity
 and
other soil quality indicators.

The fact that organic agriculture systems also absorb and retain
 significant
amounts of carbon in the soil has implications for global warming,
 Pimentel
said, pointing out that soil carbon in the organic systems increased by
 15
to 28 percent, the equivalent of taking about 3,500 pounds of carbon
 dioxide
per hectare out of the air.

Among the study's other findings:
In the drought years, 1988 to 1998, corn yields in the legume-based
 system
were 22 percent higher than yields in the conventional system.
The soil nitrogen levels in the organic farming systems increased 8 to
 15
percent. Nitrate leaching was about equivalent in the organic and
conventional farming systems.
Organic farming reduced local and regional groundwater pollution by not
applying agricultural chemicals.

Pimentel noted that although cash crops cannot be grown as frequently
 over
time on organic farms because of the dependence on cultural practices
 to
supply nutrients and control pests and because labor costs average
 about 15
percent higher in organic farming systems, the higher prices that
 organic
foods command in the marketplace still make the net economic return per
 acre
either equal to or higher than that of conventionally produced crops.

Organic farming can compete effectively in growing corn, soybeans,
 wheat,
barley and other grains, Pimentel said, but it might not be as
 favorable for
growing such crops as grapes, apples, cherries and potatoes, which have
greater pest problems.

The study was funded by the Rodale Institute and included a review of
current literature on organic and conventional agriculture comparisons.
According to Pimentel, dozens of scientific papers reporting on
 research
from the Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial have been published in
prestigious refereed journals over the past 20 years.


martin


  John Lennon describes his first acid trip 
http://www.youtube. com/v/7IaPtrmGCH A 

martin  


       
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