1. Productivity and higher yields, especially in third world
- 8.98 million farmers have adopted sustainable agricultural practices, for a total of 28.92 million acres so cultivated in Asia, Latin America and Africa; data, scientifically reliable, collected from 89 projects show that these practices lead to increased productivity and yields of 50-100% for non-irrigated crops, and 5-10% for irrigation.
The greatest successes have occurred in Burkina Faso, where it has gone from a deficit of 644 kg of cereals per year to an annual surplus of 153 pounds, in Ethiopia, where 12,500 farming families have enjoyed increased 60% in crop yields and in Honduras and Guatemala, where 45 000 families have seen increased yields from 400-600 kg / ha to 2000-2500 kg / ha;
- long-term studies conducted in industrialized countries show that organic farming yields are comparable to those of conventional and often are higher.
2. Soil
- The sustainable agricultural practices reduce soil erosion, improve soil physical structure and its water retention capacity, all factors crucial to avoid the loss of crops during periods of drought;
- Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by sustainable agricultural practices;
- Soils cultivated with sustainable practices show a higher biological activity: a higher number of earthworms, arthropods, mycorrhizal and other fungi, and microorganisms, all beneficial for nutrient recycling and disposal of natural diseases.
3.
cleaner environment - in sustainable agriculture and little or no use of chemical pollutants;
- Minor amounts of nitrates and phosphorus reaching the water table;
- Water filtration systems is better to organic farming, which means they are less prone to erosion and contribute less to the pollution of surface water to flush;
4. Reduction of pesticides with no increase in pest
- The integrated pest management has reduced the number of spraying with pesticides and from 3.4 to one per season in Vietnam, from 2.9 to 0.5 in Sri Lanka and 2, 9 to 1.1 in Indonesia;
- in the production of tomatoes in California, the choice not to use synthetic insecticides did not result in any increase in crop losses for damage from pests
- The pest control can be achieved without resorting to pesticides and without entailing the loss of crops, using crops such as 'trap' to attract the borer, as seen in East Africa where the borer is a major pest;
5. Maintenance and use of biodiversity
- Sustainable agriculture promotes agricultural biodiversity, which is crucial for food security, organic farming can support a much higher level of biodiversity, with great benefit to the species that have undergone significant reductions;
1. Productivity and higher yields, especially in third world
- 8.98 million farmers have adopted sustainable agricultural practices, for a total of 28.92 million acres so cultivated in Asia, Latin America and Africa; data, scientifically reliable, collected from 89 projects show that these practices lead to increased productivity and yields of 50-100% for non-irrigated crops, and 5-10% for irrigation.
The greatest successes have occurred in Burkina Faso, where it has gone from a deficit of 644 kg of cereals per year to a surplus annual 153 kilos in Ethiopia, where 12,500 farming families have enjoyed a 60% increase in crop yields and in Honduras and Guatemala, where 45 000 families saw an increase in yields from 400-600 kg / ha to 2,000- 2,500 kg / ha;
- long-term studies conducted in industrialized countries show that organic farming yields are comparable to those of conventional and often are higher.
2. Soil
- The sustainable agricultural practices reduce soil erosion, improve soil physical structure and its water retention capacity, all factors crucial to avoid the loss of crops during periods of drought;
- Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by sustainable agricultural practices;
- Soils cultivated with sustainable practices show a higher biological activity: a higher number of earthworms, arthropods, mycorrhizal and other fungi , and microorganisms, all beneficial for nutrient recycling and disposal of natural diseases.
3.
cleaner environment - in sustainable agriculture and little or no use of chemical pollutants;
- Minor amounts of nitrates and phosphorus reaching the water table;
- Water filtration is better in organic farming systems, which are therefore less susceptible to erosion and contribute less to the pollution of surface water to flush;
4. Reduction of pesticides with no increase in pest
- The integrated pest management has reduced the number of spraying with pesticides and from 3.4 to one per season in Vietnam, from 2.9 to 0.5 in Sri Lanka and 2, 9 to 1.1 in Indonesia;
- in the production of tomatoes in California, the choice not to use synthetic insecticides did not result in any increase in crop losses for damage from pests
- The pest control can be achieved without without resorting to pesticides and entailing the loss of crops, using crops such as 'trap' to attract the borer, as seen in East Africa where the borer is a major pest;
5. Maintenance and use of biodiversity
- Sustainable agriculture promotes agricultural biodiversity, which is crucial for food security, organic farming can sustain a much greater level of biodiversity, with great benefit to the species that have undergone significant reductions;
- Increased productivity increases the amount of available food and income, thereby reducing poverty by increasing access to food, reducing malnutrition and improving the health and life;
- methods of sustainable agriculture draw heavily from traditional indigenous knowledge and give importance to the experience of farmers and their innovations, and improve their social status and autonomy by strengthening the social and cultural relations within local communities;
- for every pound spent on buying organic products (in a study in the United Kingdom), are generated 2:59 pounds for the local economy, for every pound shopping in a supermarket, are generated only 1.40 pounds for the local economy.
9. Food for better health
- Organic food is safer because it is prohibited in organic farming the use of pesticides, so it is rare to find in these harmful chemical residues in food;
- is prohibited in organic production ' use of artificial additives such as hydrogenated fats, phosphoric acid, aspartame and monosodium glutamate, which have been linked with many different diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity;
- Several studies have shown that, on average, organic foods have a higher content of vitamin C, minerals and phenols - plant compounds that can fight heart disease and cancer and alleviate the age-related neurological dysfunctions - and significantly lower content of nitrates, which are toxic.
- in China thousands of rice farmers have doubled yields and nearly eliminated one of the most devastating diseases of rice, simply by planting a mixture of two different varieties;
- organic farming grow biodiversity, bringing beneficial effects such as the recovery of degraded land, improving soil structure and its capacity for water filtration.
6. Organic farming is sustainable both in terms of the environment and the economy
- A research on the production of apples with different farming systems showed that organic farming is in first place with regard to environmental sustainability
04/11 / 2008
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