Article: Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

Article link:  Organic vs conventional farming styles article

\”The crop yields and economics of organic systems, compared
with conventional systems, appear to vary based on the
crops, regions, and technologies employed in the studies.
However, the environmental benefits attributable to reduced
chemical inputs, less soil erosion, water conservation, and
improved soil organic matter and biodiversity were consistently
greater in the organic systems than in the conventional
systems.\”

Click the underlined Article link above.  I really enjoyed this article.  It covers a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of organic vs conventional farming styles in relation to real studies observed over long periods of time, for example 22 years.  It is fairly in-depth about how organic farming styles effect soil elements like fertility, carbon and nitrogen levels, soil biology, etc… and I like how it didn\’t seem to be bias when comparing with conventional methods.  I feel like this article is a really good summary and start-off point for my Science of Food Medicine course, which is why it\’s one of the first readings.  Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.  Cheers, and be aware and eat with care 🙂

 Ref:  PIMENTEL, DAVID1
HEPPERLY, PAUL2
HANSON, JAMES3
DOUDS, DAVID4
SEIDEL, RITA2Source:BioScience, July 2005, Vol. 55, Issue 7, p. 573-582, 10 p.

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