Balancing conventional and organic farming
Is 'organic agriculture' better for environmental protection than conventional agriculture? If we need more land to produce the same amount of food than with the so-called conventional agriculture can't impacts such as erosion, loss of biodiversity and climate change be greater under 'organic agriculture'? If that is the case, effects on human health may in the long run be even more detrimental than those potentially caused by conventional agriculture. Therefore, the solution is not in the 'all or nothing' between organic and conventional agriculture. Farmers need to strive to implement organic practices weighing short versus long-term gains in relation to soil conservation. The 'organic agriculture' label needs to loosen up to incorporate management practices deemed as conventional, provided this results in quantifiable gains associated with environmental protection. There is no reason why 'organic agriculture' can't incorporate the most advanced technologies aimed at increasing yields (and food quality) while protecting the environment. For example, why can't a glyphosate resistant genetically modified crop, farmed under no-till using a glyphosate product that is safe (i.e., passed standard scientifically sound toxicological tests) be considered 'organic'? If it took less land and CO2 emissions to produce and the final product is 'safe' for the environment and human consumption, then why not consider it 'organic'? Is there any tangible evidence that glyphosate resistant crops are detrimental to the environment? If you can find it in the peer review literature I will drop this argument. Plus we know that soils under no-till store more carbon, are more biologically diverse and this is associated with increased food quality. This brings me to another point. Since consumer choice is what drives the market the public should demand much greater disclosure regarding food production. Grocery stores should increasingly disclose not only where their products come from but how they were produced. With today's technology, I bet this can be easily traced and displayed on consumer's smartphones using barcodes and the web. Let's hope that politicians understand the need for improved policies on food production disclosure and start doing a better job at connecting the dots between this and the economy from multiple angles such as farmers livelihoods, environmental and consumer protection.