Guest guest Posted April 14, 2006 Report Share Posted April 14, 2006 World Watch Magazine: May/ June 2006 Can Organic Farming Feed Us All? -Brian Halweil Two recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world's hungry, writes Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil in " Can Organic Farming Feed Us All? " Organic farming tends to raise yields in poorer nations, precisely those areas where people are hungry and can't afford chemical-intensive farming. Where there is a yield gap between conventional and organic crops, it tends to be widest in wealthy nations, where farmers use copious amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in a perennial attempt to maximize yields. " In poorer nations, organic farming techniques like composting and green manuring and biological pest control may be farmers' best hope for boosting production and reducing hunger, " writes Halweil. Beyond this yield advantage, organic farming has proven benefits for wildlife, water and air quality, and food safety. And while analysts on the two sides of this issue are constantly at odds, some experts are starting to advocate a middle path that uses many of the principles of organic farming and depends on just a fraction of the chemicals used in conventional agriculture. Such an integrative system, they believe, would have great benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment. " The lack of widespread support for organic farming from governments, industry, and farmer organizations is short-sighted and may ultimately be contributing to world hunger, " says Halweil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2006 Report Share Posted April 15, 2006 Do they mean meat/dairy farming or vegetable farming? Organic Meat and dairy farms cannot feed us all, that’s for sure. I always think that when something says 'organic' for meat and dairy that they are just saying that to make people buy it...if I don’t actually see the animals and the conditions they live in...I don’t trust the word organic...as far as I see it. The word has become a marketing tool and nothing more. (For meat and dairy that is) I don’t trust it because they will lie out of the ass just to make money and cut every corner possible to save money...if the term is used for the way produce is grown, of course, that I trust. As for organic produce farming feeding us all...I guess that depends on a lot of things. It would be great if it could though. fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: World Watch Magazine: May/ June 2006Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?-Brian HalweilTwo recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world's hungry, writes Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil in "Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?" Organic farming tends to raise yields in poorer nations, precisely those areas where people are hungry and can't afford chemical-intensive farming. Where there is a yield gap between conventional and organic crops, it tends to be widest in wealthy nations, where farmers use copious amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in a perennial attempt to maximize yields. "In poorer nations, organic farming techniques like composting and green manuring and biological pest control may be farmers' best hope for boosting production and reducing hunger," writes Halweil. Beyond this yield advantage, organic farming has proven benefits for wildlife, water and air quality, and food safety. And while analysts on the two sides of this issue are constantly at odds, some experts are starting to advocate a middle path that uses many of the principles of organic farming and depends on just a fraction of the chemicals used in conventional agriculture. Such an integrative system, they believe, would have great benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment. "The lack of widespread support for organic farming from governments, industry, and farmer organizations is short-sighted and may ultimately be contributing to world hunger," says Halweil. Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 It couldn't produce enough to feed us all because we don't all eat meat ! Jo - FF ON Saturday, April 15, 2006 8:22 PM Re: Can Organic Farming Feed Us All? Do they mean meat/dairy farming or vegetable farming? Organic Meat and dairy farms cannot feed us all, that’s for sure. I always think that when something says 'organic' for meat and dairy that they are just saying that to make people buy it...if I don’t actually see the animals and the conditions they live in...I don’t trust the word organic...as far as I see it. The word has become a marketing tool and nothing more. (For meat and dairy that is) I don’t trust it because they will lie out of the ass just to make money and cut every corner possible to save money...if the term is used for the way produce is grown, of course, that I trust. As for organic produce farming feeding us all...I guess that depends on a lot of things. It would be great if it could though. fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: World Watch Magazine: May/ June 2006Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?-Brian HalweilTwo recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world's hungry, writes Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil in "Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?" Organic farming tends to raise yields in poorer nations, precisely those areas where people are hungry and can't afford chemical-intensive farming. Where there is a yield gap between conventional and organic crops, it tends to be widest in wealthy nations, where farmers use copious amounts of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in a perennial attempt to maximize yields. "In poorer nations, organic farming techniques like composting and green manuring and biological pest control may be farmers' best hope for boosting production and reducing hunger," writes Halweil. Beyond this yield advantage, organic farming has proven benefits for wildlife, water and air quality, and food safety. And while analysts on the two sides of this issue are constantly at odds, some experts are starting to advocate a middle path that uses many of the principles of organic farming and depends on just a fraction of the chemicals used in conventional agriculture. Such an integrative system, they believe, would have great benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment. "The lack of widespread support for organic farming from governments, industry, and farmer organizations is short-sighted and may ultimately be contributing to world hunger," says Halweil. Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 yes I agree with you, a couple of years ago, there was an expose, about the so called cage-free organic eggs turned out they werent so free after all. , FF ON < wrote: > > Do they mean meat/dairy farming or vegetable farming? Organic Meat and dairy farms cannot feed us all, that's for sure. > I always think that when something says 'organic' for meat and dairy that they are just saying that to make people buy it...if I don't actually see the animals and the conditions they live in...I don't trust the word organic...as far as I see it. The word has become a marketing tool and nothing more. (For meat and dairy that is) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2006 Report Share Posted April 17, 2006 Hi Anouk It is amazing how labels can mis-lead ones thoughts. Cage-free simply means that they are not caged. Unfortunately most cage-free birds are cramped inside a small room with no space to even move their wings. Free-range means that get to go outside, but it does not say how long or how much room they have. Sick, isn't it? Nikki , " Anouk Sickler " <zurumato wrote: > > yes I agree with you, a couple of years ago, > there was an expose, about the so called cage-free organic eggs > turned out they werent so free after all. > > > , FF ON <@> wrote: > > > > Do they mean meat/dairy farming or vegetable farming? Organic Meat > and dairy farms cannot feed us all, that's for sure. > > I always think that when something says 'organic' for meat and > dairy that they are just saying that to make people buy it...if I > don't actually see the animals and the conditions they live in...I > don't trust the word organic...as far as I see it. The word has become > a marketing tool and nothing more. (For meat and dairy that is) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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