Less Water Used In Organic Farming

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Less Water Used In Organic Farming

Feeding a growing global population in a sustainable way is possible! Studies provide evidence that organic farming can produce sufficient yields, be profitable, protect and improve the environment and be safer for farm workers.

A study released by Cornell University Professor David Pimentel in 2005 reported that organic farming produces the same corn and soybean yields as conventional farming and uses 30 percent less energy and less water. Moreover, because organic farming systems do not use pesticides, they also yield healthier produce and do not contribute to groundwater pollution.

In addition to its conservation of water, organic farming has also been praised for the economic opportunities it creates for farmers in developing countries. Those farmers have not only found an international market for their organic products, but in draught-ridden India, organic rice farmers have found that using less water is not only a necessity, but is also financially practical. Indian rice farmers cited in a 2007 World Wildlife Foundation study claimed that the system of rice intensification (SRI) helped them yield more crop with less water. 

What do you think about it?

 

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Source: Phys.org

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3 Comments

  1. There are some good points in here, but some erroneous ones as well.   I would tend to agree that organic farming uses less water in situations where the farmer is practicing a lot of crop rotation &/or using a lot of manure for fertilzer; as a result the soil probably has a higher organic matter, which makes it capable of holding more water.  This would often be the case for small or medium sized mixed farms.  If the organic farm is a large scale producer following similar crop rotations as a nearby conventional farmer or where the volume of manure available is insufficient to fertilize a lot of hectares I can't see any real reason that organic would use less water.  

    Its not true that organic farmers don't use pesticides.  They use plenty, just not 'synthetic' ones.  They use high rates per hectare of a lot of traditional remedies like sulfur, copper, borates which they deem OK because they are 'natural', and are only non-toxic to workers and the environment if handled properly, just like any chemical. 

    Its probably true that organic farms employ more people, because they have to do things like weeding with hoes, but its not exactly fun work that people are lining up to do.

    Profitability on a per unit basis is definitely better for organic farmers because they charge a lot more for their produce, so the extra profit comes at the consumer's expense.  But it also costs more to produce organically, not the least of reasons why is that the yields are usually less so the per unit cost is higher.   If you consider that somewhere in the world more land is pressed into production to make up the yield gap its not a good use of resources.

  2. As we continue to learn from over 2,000 years of trial and error we should now begin to look at water itself and activate ALL the benefits it holds, to allow the highest return with the least amount.