How organic farming can help save the planet
We can stop the climate crisis. At least, we can start reducing the 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently attributed to agricultural activities.
The answer is regenerative organic agriculture. And the time to implement it is now.
In a report published recently, the U.N. concluded that humans cannot stave off the effects of climate change without making drastic changes to the ways we grow food and use land.
Conventional, industrial agriculture depends on the use of chemi- cal inputs and fos- sil-fuel intensive synthetic fertilizers, in addition to heavy machinery and tillage. Industrial farming also relies on factory farms for animals. These methods release large amounts of carbon, and other greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere.
In contrast, regenerative organic systems, which prioritize soil health and good farming practices like cover cropping, reducing tillage, and pasturing animals, use 45% less energy and release 40% fewer carbon emissions than conventional agriculture, with no statistical difference in yields.
Regenerative organic agriculture works with natural systems to produce nutritious and abundant food, instead of relying on synthetic inputs like pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Regenerative goes beyond sustainable to improve resources, not just maintain them.
At Rodale Institute, a nonprofit research institution recognized as a global leader in regenerative organic agriculture, our Farming Systems Trial has been running for nearly 40 years.
It’s the longest side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional grain cropping systems in North America.
Since 1981, we’ve collected data on soil health, crop yields, energy efficiency and more through our research trials, which have led us to discover the implications of switching to an organic system.
Rodale Institute has concluded that if we converted all global cropland and pastures to regenerative organic systems, we could sequester more than 100% of current annual carbon dioxide emissions. As the UN report concludes, we don’t have time to wait.
Regenerative organic agriculture utilizes strategies such as organic no-till, which uses cover crops to return nutrients to the soil while absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing GHG emissions. Because the soil is not disturbed in organic no-till systems, the carbon dioxide absorbed by the cover crop is sequestered in the soil instead of released into the atmosphere.
Regenerative organic prioritizes soil health, but also considers animal welfare and social fairness. Regenerative organic livestock management emphasizes rotational grazing, grass feeding and no antibiotics or hormones, reducing the heavy burden livestock place on climate.
But we don’t only need regenerative organic agriculture to mitigate the effects of climate change. We also need it in order to feed a world that’s already been shaped by a changing climate.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, agricultural systems must become more resilient. Our research has found that organic crops have the potential to produce yields up to 40% higher in times of inclement weather — like flooding or drought — than conventional systems.
This means that it is possible to feed the world while reducing carbon emissions. Regenerative organic farming prioritizes soil health — creating living soils teeming with bacteria, fungi and a thriving microbiome that is otherwise killed or depleted through the use of pesticides and herbicides, and other industrial farming practices like monocropping. Healthy soil is able to bind together, preventing the erosion and runoff that come with climate change’s extreme weather and that can decimate crops.
Each region is feeling climate change differently, which is why Rodale Institute is starting Regional Resource Centers in three agricultural hubs of the United States: Iowa, Georgia and California. We will conduct research on farming and climate mitigation in these distinct regions, bringing our expertise to new audiences as we face a growing climate crisis.
However, farmers shouldn’t shoulder the burden of changing our food systems alone. Consumers have a responsibility to protect the planet. Every purchase matters when it comes to the climate crisis.
The Regenerative Organic Certification, launched by Rodale Institute with brands such as Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s, helps consumers make informed choices about the food and products they buy. Coming to store shelves soon, the Regenerative Organic Certification will ensure that the products that bear its label were created with an emphasis on soil health, animal welfare and social fairness.
Voting with your dollars is the only way that we can change our food system and save our planet.
We don’t have time to waste. Our planet is changing, but we believe we can make a difference — because the future is organic.
Jeff Moyer is the executive director of Rodale Institute in Kutztown. He has worked in organic farming for over 40 years and is the author of “Organic No-Till Farming: Advancing No-Till Agriculture.”