Blended Organic-Conventional Farming Could Feed World
June 29, 2012
In rural Maryland, an hour-and-a-half drive from Washington, Bill Mason is tilling his fields to plant organic maize and soybeans.
About two-thirds of his 340 hectares are organic, but not all of them. And that bothers some people.
“There are some die-hard organics," Mason says. "They think every organic farmer should not be planting any conventional.”
As both an organic and conventional farmer, Mason sits right in the middle of a long-running debate over how best to feed the world.
Organic vs. conventional
Demand for organic food - produced without artificial fertilizers or pesticides - is growing worldwide, but some experts doubt a growing world population can be fed if farmers don't use these chemicals.
An April study in Nature found organic farming is 25 percent less productive on average than conventional farming. But while some say we cannot feed the world with organic agriculture, others say we cannot feed the world without it.
Critics of conventional farming say excessive fertilizer use pollutes waterways, kills fish and contributes to climate change. Customers will pay a premium for food produced without pesticides and fertilizers.
But Mason says his organic crops typically do not produce as much. “We are finding that our corn yields are about three-quarters of the yield of a normal conventional crop."
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