For organic farms, size matters: not so much the size of the farm itself, but the size of the neighboring fields.
For organic farms, size matters: not so much the size of the farm itself, but the size of the neighboring fields.
A large-scale analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Jan. 27 found that organic agriculture sites had 34% more biodiversity and 50% more profits than conventional agriculture sites, even though the organic sites had 18% lower crop yields.
Yet the study, produced by a Washington State University student “journal club,” also found that as the size of the fields surrounding the organic farms increased, those values shifted: the organic farms’ advantage in biodiversity increased, but they lost some of their edge in profitability in comparison to conventional farms in similar areas.
“A landscape with large field sizes might be an indicator of agricultural intensification in general, with many fields with only one crop and heavier pesticide and herbicide use,” said Olivia Smith, a recent WSU Ph.D. graduate and the lead author on the study. “That’s a place where there’s not a lot of natural habitat animals can use. An organic farm on that kind of landscape becomes a refuge for species.”
Read more at Washington State University
Photo Credit: Zotx via Pixabay
