Organic vs Non-Organic Farming
As the global population grows, so too are the concerns about the impact of our food production system. This awareness emerges in a resource-intensive and inequitable global food system, underscoring the urgent need for a radical transition.
Organic farming is often seen as a solution to these critical challenges, prompting many to advocate for its broader adoption. But how effective would a global shift to organic agriculture truly be? What obstacles stand in the way of such a transformation? And how close are we to realising an agroecological revolution?
In this article, we'll examine the differences between organic and conventional farming and explore the future of organic farming in the UK.
What is Organic Farming?
Organic farming aims to sustainably farm in ways that maintain the quality of soils, ecosystems, and living standards among local communities.
Organic farming avoids certain harmful inputs usually found in conventional farming. These include chemical fertilisers and pesticides in crop production, hormone treatments and certain antibiotics in animal rearing. Additionally, organic farming upholds high animal welfare standards, ensuring that livestock's specific behavioural needs are met.
Organic farming emphasises responsible use of energy and natural resources, biodiversity conservation, ecological balance, soil fertility, and water quality.
The variety and quality of organic products are continually evolving by standards set by local authorities and influenced by the availability of natural resources, such as soil fertility for crops or outdoor space for livestock rearing.
Certification is required to label products as organic, ensuring that they are produced in ways that adhere to health, ecology, care, and fairness principles.
History of Organic Farming
While the concept of organic farming has long been known in human history, it has become a popular practice since the 1970s in the USA and Europe. This has been in reaction to the industrialisation of farming, which has since normalised intensive farming methods, overuse of synthetic fertilisers, and poor animal welfare standards in many cases.
While organic farming began as a social movement, it has become associated with production standards, certification, and branding within a market economy over time.
Types of Organic Farming
There are two main types of organic farming- pure and integrated:
Pure organic farming strictly avoids the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers, and pesticides, relying solely on natural manures and biopesticides. Farmers practising pure organic farming ensure that the land has never been exposed to inorganic chemicals, preserving soil fertility and promoting biodiversity.
Integrated organic farming combines nutrient and pest management, creating a cyclical, zero-waste system. It involves using natural resources to enhance soil health and control pests, often employing crop rotation, composting, and natural predators. Integrated organic farming aims to produce high-quality, nutritious crops while maintaining environmental sustainability.
Organic Farming Methods
Below we've listed some of the major characteristics of organic farming:
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation involves planting different crops in succession on the same land to improve soil health and manage pests and weeds.
Alternating crops—such as planting nitrogen-fixing legumes after nitrogen-depleting grains—maintain soil fertility, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.
Crop rotation also helps break pest and disease cycles, making crops more resilient.
Compost
Composting is decomposing organic matter, such as crop residues, animal manure, and food scraps, to create nutrient-rich soil amendments.
This enhances soil texture, aeration, and water retention, leading to healthier, more fertile soils without the need for chemical fertilisers.
Crop Diversity
Growing a variety of crops within the same area, known as crop diversity, boosts biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
This diversity can include species, varieties, or even genetic variations within a crop. By enhancing biodiversity, organic farming systems are better equipped to resist pests and diseases and improve overall soil health.
Soil Management
Organic soil management focuses on improving soil health through natural practices like adding organic matter, conserving soil moisture, and preventing erosion.
Techniques such as cover cropping, green manuring, and reduced tillage help maintain soil structure and fertility. These methods minimise reliance on external inputs and address challenges like soil erosion and desertification.
Pest Control
Pest management in organic farming is designed to prevent infestations and uses natural methods over synthetic chemicals.
Techniques include maintaining healthy soil, rotating crops, encouraging beneficial organisms, and using natural pesticides derived from plants and minerals. Mechanical controls, such as hand weeding and mulching, are also used.
Water Use and Pollution Prevention
Organic farming typically uses less water than conventional systems, thanks to practices that improve soil health and water retention.
By avoiding synthetic chemicals, organic farming also reduces the risk of water pollution from runoff, protecting aquatic ecosystems.
Livestock Management
Organic livestock farming prioritises animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Animals are raised on organic feed and often graze on chemical-free pastures.
Antibiotics and growth hormones are avoided except in emergencies. This approach improves animal welfare and enhances the nutritional quality of animal products like milk and eggs. Livestock also contributes to soil fertility and weed management while contributing to carbon sequestration.
Animal Welfare Standards
Organic farming enforces high animal welfare standards, ensuring that animals are raised in conditions that allow for natural behaviours, with access to the outdoors and plenty of space. Painful procedures, like beak trimming in poultry, are avoided, and routine antibiotics are banned.
Organic vs Non-Organic: Comparing Environmental Impacts
The environmental impacts of organic farming compared to conventional farming are complex and context-dependent. In fact, there needs to be a clear consensus on which system is more environmentally friendly. The comparison varies depending on the specific environmental factor, crop type, and how impacts are measured.
The chart below compares organic and conventional farming across 742 agricultural systems involving 90 different foods, as provided by Our World in Data.
To ensure accuracy, the study used life-cycle analysis (LCA) to account for all stages of production, ensuring consistent comparisons across products.
The chart highlights the importance of considering different crops separately, as trade-offs exist—for instance, one system may be better for greenhouse gas emissions but worse for land use.
Let's take a closer look at some of the factors that indicate the environmental impact of organic vs non-organic farming.
- Land use and yields: Organic farming typically requires more land than conventional farming due to lower yields, raising concerns about global food security and potential environmental impacts, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss from habitat conversion.
- Energy use: Organic farming generally uses less energy because it avoids energy-intensive synthetic fertiliser and pesticide production. However, exceptions exist, like in organic vegetable farming use of methods like propane-fueled flame weeding.
- Acidification and eutrophication: Organic farming can lead to higher acidification and eutrophication due to nutrient runoff from manure use, contributing to water pollution and ecosystem degradation.
- Greenhouse gas emissions: The impact on greenhouse gas emissions varies between organic and conventional farming, depending on the crop. While organic farming can result in lower emissions in some cases, it may also lead to higher nitrous oxide emissions from manure.
- Biodiversity and ecotoxicity: Organic farming generally supports greater biodiversity and reduces ecotoxicity by avoiding synthetic pesticides, which can harm non-target species.
- Water use and soil health: Organic farming often uses less water and promotes better soil health, with healthier soils having greater water retention capacity, reducing water use, and improving drought resilience.
Costs of Organic vs Non-Organic Farming
A variety of factors influence the economic dynamics of organic versus non-organic farming. Organic farming typically incurs higher production costs than conventional farming due to the strict standards and practices required for organic certification.
Some of these standards include the prohibition of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, the necessity for more labour-intensive farming, and the longer time frames required to raise certain livestock, such as poultry.
For example, organic farmers must raise cattle for 12 months, or at least three-quarters of their lifetime, to produce meat.
Globally and across all major crops, organic farming generally results in 25% lower yields than non-organic crops. This lower productivity means that the price of organic produce must be higher for farmers to cover their costs and remain profitable.
Additionally, the initial investment required for transitioning to organic farming can be a significant barrier, as farmers must overcome the challenges of lower yields and higher production costs without the immediate financial benefits of conventional farming.
Despite the higher overall production costs associated with keeping an organic farm, some aspects can be more economical which helps to offset the higher labour costs and lower yields partially. We'll examine some of the economic advantages in the next section.
How Profitable is Organic Farming vs Non-Organic Farming?
The profitability of organic farming in the UK has been growing steadily, driven by increasing consumer demand and favourable market conditions.
Source: Soil Association
Several factors contribute towards organic profitability:
- Price premiums: Organic products are generally priced higher on the consumer end, mostly due to the increased production costs.
- Lower input costs: Organic farms spend 16% less overall due to the absence of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides.
- Government subsidies: In the European Union and the UK, organic farmers receive more subsidies to promote environmentally friendly practices and improve animal welfare than conventional methods.
- Market demand: Strong demand for organic dairy, poultry, and arable crops used as feed helps boost profitability.
- Energy efficiency: Organic farming tends to be more energy-efficient since it requires less water and irrigation.
- Reduced fuel costs: Organic practices often reduce the need for heavy machinery, particularly since they do not rely on synthetic fertilisers that require such frequent application.
Below is a comparison of the profitability between organic and non-organic farming. Data from the Soil Association (based on a 2016 Farm Business Survey) shows that organic farms often outperform non-organic farms in profitability:
Conclusions: The Future of Organic Farming in the UK
Despite higher price points, consumers are often willing to pay more for organic products. Our World in Data reports a willingness to pay up to 100% above standard prices.
70% of UK consumers reported being more concerned about health, sustainability, and the environment following the pandemic and COP26, with many expressing a desire to buy British products.
Source: Soil Association
This data suggests that the trend for sustainable and healthy options has "stuck" with more consumers seeking climate and nature-friendly products despite potential price differences.
However, recent trends indicate that this growth may have peaked. While the organic market saw significant growth in 2020 and 2021, likely due to pandemic-related changes in consumer behaviour, there were signs of a slowdown or decline in 2022.
The price gap between organic and non-organic products may change as consumer preferences and market conditions evolve.
This shift could increase demand for organic products, encouraging more farmers to adopt organic practices. As a result, the overall market could see a boost in sustainable agriculture, which may contribute to improved environmental outcomes and greater availability of healthier food options.
