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All-organic farms 'could match 70pc of current output'
OLD methods of farming could not feed the country – but would not fall as far short as sceptics tend to suggest, a new report says.
An all-organic England and Wales could probably produce something close to 70 per cent of existing output in terms of calories, although a lot of chicken and eggs and pork and some milk would have to come out of the mix, to be replaced by more vegetables, beef and lamb, says the report from Reading University.
It says there would be some surprising gains and the amount of fossil fuels going into what we eat would be reduced by about a quarter.
In view of pressure to reduce carbon emissions, the Soil Association, which commissioned the report, expects it to be taken seriously by politicians.
The authors, Philip Jones and Richard Crane, of the Centre for Agricultural Strategy at Reading, say it is the best estimate yet of what it would mean to abandon artificial fertilisers, which are produced by burning gas to extract nitrogen from the air.
They took data from 176 organic farms in England and Wales and multiplied it up, taking account of varying soils and local climates.
Most rough guesses have suggested all-organic farming would produce between half and two thirds of the yields from modern mainstream methods.
The report points out that organic performance could well be improved once more resources went into it.
It adds, however, that there are still questions to be answered about whether organic methods can sustain productivity in the long term, when soil depletion is taken into account.
It says that although energy would be saved overall, organic farming would require more diesel and more day to day labour – meaning 70 per cent more employment in the sector.
Philip Jones said yesterday that he would not expect to see a complete conversion to organic agriculture but some move in that direction would probably be part of the answer to climate change, fuel shortages and dietary concerns.
He said: "It is going to take 20 or 30 years of investment and research before we get new agricultural systems fully productive and now is the time to start planning."
The policy director of the Soil Association, Peter Melchett, said: "The report shows that organic farming has much to offer and is, perhaps,
mainstream agriculture in waiting."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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