Planet-friendly food
| Published: 30th August 2007 15:16 |
Research has now shown that organic farming can use around a quarter less energy to produce the same amount of food.
While there is no UK data for the overall global warming impact of organic farming, there is now data on energy use from Defra-funded studies. These show organic farming is overall more energy efficient than non-organic farming. This is mainly because it does not use nitrogen fertilisers, which are produced from petro-chemicals in an energy-intensive process.
‘Life cycle' analyses for the Government have found that organic farming generally uses less energy than conventional farming to produce the same amount (29% less energy for wheat and 38% less for milk). The then Secretary of State for the Environment, David Miliband, said last year that there is scientific evidence that "in many, but not all cases, [organic food] produces fewer greenhouse gases".
Organic farming is good for wildlife
Farmland wildlife is under threat as never before. Yet many scientific studies show that going organic can reverse this decline in biodiversity. The only way to rebuild a rich and abundant wildlife right across our countryside is to promote a system of farming that encourages wildlife instead of one that squeezes it out. That system is organic farming. Organic farming actually depends on encouraging a diverse ecosystem to maintain soil fertility and to keep pests under control naturally. Important organic farming practices include:
- Encouraging natural predators by maintaining hedgerows and encouraging ladybirds and lacewings.
- Mixed farming where farmers grow crops and also keep animals like cows, pigs or sheep.
- Changing the crops planted each season, to keep soil fertile and avoid the need for chemicals to kill weeds and insects.
