organic agriculture
Can Organic Agriculture Reverse Climate Change?
Over the last 14 days, I have been on a walk. A walk that, I hope, will change the way that we look a climate change and think about how we can reverse this disastrous phenomenon.
Over the last 14 days, I have been on a walk. A walk that, I hope, will change the way that we look a climate change and think about how we can reverse this disastrous phenomenon.
Each day I walk ten miles, on a journey from the Rodale Institute in Kutztown, PA to Washington, DC. Along the way, I have had the honor of meeting with farmers, local public officials, community members, students and activists. Every person I meet is impacted by the effects of climate change. From the disastrous hail storm that occurred in Reading, PA in May to the local fisherman and their concern that Atrazine was found in spawning beds of small mouth bass in the Susquehanna River. Climate change affects us all and the impact and destruction caused by catastrophic weather events is more noticeable with each passing year.
Along the way, I continue to tell people that climate change is a gift. This is Mother Nature's way of letting us know that she is sick. We have broken our ecological systems and only we can fix it. I have data that proves that a global transition to regenerative organic agriculture can reverse climate change.
The process is actually quite simple--we work with nature to use photosynthesis and healthy soil biology to draw down greenhouse gases.
There are four steps to the process:
- Photosynthesis: The process plants use to change carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into oxygen and carbon-based sugars.
- Nutrient Exchange: Carbon-based sugars ooze out of the plant's roots to feed micro-organisms, mostly bacteria and fungi, living in the soil nearby. Microorganisms transform organic matter and soil minerals into plant-available nutrients.
- Capturing carbon: Temporary root sugars and dead organic materials (e.g. plant debris and compost) are eaten by microorganisms and converted into more stable materials to store carbon in the soil for decades to centuries.
- Restoring balance, reversing climate change: More photosynthesis means more sugars, which means microorganisms will thrive. Healthy micro-organisms create abundant nutrients for plants. Building healthy soil and eliminating the use of toxic agricultural chemicals and practices brings carbon levels back into balance, reversing climate change.
On Oct. 16--two days from now--I will arrive in Washington, DC and will hand deliver this research to our elected officials.
We must bring awareness to this research and encourage the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress to create legislation that supports organic farmers. Only organic farming can stop the chaos that we have created--chaos that is deeply impacting our environment on so many levels.
I need your help to make sure that our voices are heard when we arrive in Washington, DC. Please, get involved. Make sure this message about the powerful, positive impact of regenerative organic agriculture is known.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for daily updates on the walk. Share these update with your network of friends, family and colleagues.
- Join our 'Organic Planet' twitter chat tonight, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. ET with Only Organic using the hashtag,#organicplanet
- Go to www.crowdrise.com/organicplanet and make a donation to support our work with organic farmers. Donations of every amount are welcome and appreciated.
I know that, together, we can make sure that our voices are heard. We can encourage congress to create legislation that supports organic farmers and incentivizes conventional farmer to transition. Together, we can truly regenerate our planet--creating a better environment for our children and grandchildren to grow, live and thrive.
Along the route, I spoke to a reporter who said, "Reversing climate change through organic agriculture? This just sounds too good to be true."
Well, I'm happy to say that is good and it is true.
Walk for an Organic PlanetDid you know that organic farming can reverse climate change? Its true. And Rodale Institute has the data to prove it. On October ...
Landmark Study Underscores Wide-Ranging Benefits of Pesticide-Free Farming
'Significant nutritional differences' between organic and non-organic foods, shows research
A meta-analysis of 343 previously peer-reviewed studies from all over the world has found that organic crops contain more antioxidants and fewer pesticides than their non-organic counterparts, according to reporting in the Guardian.
The research, conducted by an international team of scientists led by UK professor of ecological agriculture Carlo Leifert, is published in the British Journal of Nutrition. It shows that the increased levels of antioxidants (between 18-69 percent) could have significant impact on human nutrition.
"If you buy, consistently, organic fruits and vegetables...you get one to even two extra servings of antioxidants from those organic foods compared to if you bought conventional brands," said Charles Benbrook, a Washington State University researcher and the lone American co-author of the paper.
The frequency of occurrence of pesticide residues was found to be four times higher in conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which also contained significantly higher concentrations of the toxic metal cadmium. Cadmium has been linked to kidney damage and cancer.
"Most importantly, the concentrations of a range of antioxidants such as polyphenolics were found to be substantially higher in organic crops/crop-based foods," the study found. "Many of these compounds have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including [cardiovascular disease] and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers, in dietary intervention and epidemiological studies."
The study's findings run counter to those of the most recent comprehensive look at the same topic, which found, in 2012, "the published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods." That research synthesized the results of 223 studies.
The head of the UK-based Soil Association said in a statement:
"We know that people choose organic food because they believe it is better for them, as well as for wildlife, animal welfare and the environment, and this research backs up what people think about organic food. In other countries there has long been much higher levels of support and acceptance of the benefits of organic food and farming: we hope these findings will bring the UK in line with the rest of Europe, when it comes to both attitudes to organic food and support for organic farming."
Sales of organic food are on the rise in the UK, after a years-long slump.