Is organic farming more sustainable than other types of farming?

Is organic farming more sustainable than other types of farming?

Melissa Kidd (Soil Association Information Officer) gives expert video advice on: Is eating organic better for the environment? and more...

Organic farming is more sustainable than other types of farming and this is due to the fact that we are not relying on chemicals that are very energy hungry. Natural gas is the main component of nitrogen fertiliser, used in non-organic farming, and it requires a lot of energy to make that fertiliser. In addition, energy is involved in transporting the fertiliser from where it was made to the farm. Whereas, organic farms use crop rotation, compost, and manure which is produced on the farm in a sustainable way. From that point of view, organic farming is much more sustainable. Furthermore, in terms of pest control and disease control, organic farmers use crop rotation so you don't build up larger populations of pathogens and disease-causing microbes. Non-organic farmers will use chemicals to sort those problems out, but that generally will be a short term, unsustainable solution.