Why organic is better for the planet

There is a climate emergency and we have less than 10 years to change our behaviour to prevent catastrophic global heating. The way we eat and farm can make a world of difference.

Nature-friendly farming, along with wider changes to our global food system, could play a major role in keeping global warming below 2°C.

Nature-friendly agroecological farming systems, like organic, sustain the health of soils, ecosystems and people. They work within nature’s cycles and produce food in ways that do not harm the environment.

There are multiple benefits of organic farming for the planet. Organic farms:

Organic farms use less energy and tend to have lower emissions

On average, organic farms use less energy than non-organic farms. This is because organic standards encourage farmers to close the loop, making use of what’s to hand and limiting the use of imported resources.

Organic farming reduces greenhouse gas emissions by severely restricting the use of manufactured chemical fertilisers, which are often imported from abroad and come from burning fossil fuels. Instead, farmers rely on natural fertilisers, which can be sourced locally or from their own farm, like green manures, animal manures and cover crops, to fix nutrients. They also practise crop rotations.

Soil Association organic standards severely restrict the use of peat in composts. Peat comes from peatlands and peat bogs. They are an important carbon store and a valuable part of our ecosystem, which are vital for combatting climate change.

GM animal feed is banned under organic standards. Most non-organic British chickens, pigs and cows are fed with GM crops, like maize and soya, which are imported from abroad. Organic cows must be fed a minimum of 60% grass-based diet, rather than other feeds like cereals and soya, which are often imported.

It’s this respect for the natural world and ability to work with nature that makes organic farming better for the planet.

Organic farms reduce nitrogen pollution

Nitrogen is an element essential for all life on earth and vital in food and farming.  But, when used in excess, nitrogen becomes a dangerous pollutant of our air, rivers, soils and seas. 

Producing artificial fertilisers uses 3 to 5% of all global natural gas. This fossil fuel-reliant system has been a quick fix for producing more food but has come at a huge cost to nature, climate and human health.

Organic farming is different as it:

• bans the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers in organic systems, which lowers the risk of environmental pollution from farming. Nitrogen fertilisers can create ocean dead zones, which deprive marine life of vital oxygen.
• builds healthier soils which protect underground water supplies, by neutralising or filtering out potential pollutants
• increases the amount of organic matter in soil through methods, like composting and manure.

Organic farms have soils that capture and store more carbon

Did you know that our soils store more carbon than the atmosphere, and all of the world’s plants and forests combined? Healthy soils are one of our most important weapons in the fight against climate change. 

Healthy soils sequester, or store, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They draw it down by photosynthesis through trees and plants, and store it as soil organic carbon.

Organic farming is based on taking care of the soil, nourishing the soil with composts, manure and regular rotations, and keeping it covered with different crops throughout the year. This helps build soil organic carbon, and as a result, long-term studies (which have compared organic and conventional farming systems ) show that soils in organic farms store more carbon.

Soils left uncovered and unprotected can erode or wash away during flooding and extreme weather conditions. Comparatively, systems like agroforestry, that grow trees on farms and plant hedgerows, can help protect soils. They cover land with a canopy, acting as barriers for soil erosion and fixing soil in place through their root systems.