Greenhouse Gases Could Be Used To Grow Organic Food
by Timothy J. LaSalle, Rodale Institue, Kutztown, PA 
on 07. 1.08
In 2008, global food demand is testing the capacity of petroleum-dependent, export-focused commodity agriculture. This system has not served developed nations as food prices soar—inflamed by biofuel demand and fuel prices—and has especially hurt developing nations already struggling with food security issues. The modern-farming paradigm has also resulted in nutrient overload in our waterways from the use of synthetic nitrogen, degradation of our soils and animal health and welfare concerns. Most disturbing is modern agriculture's contribution to global warming.
New data from U.S. government research shows that with agriculture using chemical fertilizers and herbicides, the U.S. food system contributes nearly 20 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. On a global scale, figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say that agricultural land use contributes 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Organically managed soils can convert carbon from a greenhouse gas into a food-producing asset. Results from a 10-year study at the Rodale Institute (pdf file) showed organic systems have the ability to capture up to 2,000 pounds of carbon per acre per year meaning more than 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are taken from the air and trapped in that field soil.
In 2006, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion were estimated at nearly 6.5 billion tons. If the 7,000 pounds of CO2 per acre per year sequestration rate had been achieved on all 434 million acres of cropland in the United States, nearly 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide would be sequestered per year, mitigating close to one quarter of the country’s total fossil fuel emissions. This is the emissions-cutting equivalent of taking one car off the road for every two acres under organic management (assuming the U.S. EPA standards for vehicle mileage).
In addition, soils rich in carbon conserve water and support healthier plants that are more resistant to drought stress, pests, and diseases. Our studies of organic systems have shown an increase of almost 30 percent in soil carbon over 27 years. The petroleum-based system showed no significant increases in soil carbon in the same time period and studies have shown that they in fact may lose carbon.
The current environmental emergency requires a major paradigm shift in the way we farm and the way we eat. Wide-scale implementation of established, scientifically researched and practical farming methods can change agriculture from a global warming contributor to a global warming inhibitor, from a problem to a solution. Consumers may be ahead of the market in this case. Demand for organic, no-pesticide, and hormone-free products in the United States has increased 20 percent or more each year for the past 14 years. Yet there has only been a 3 percent increase in acres dedicated to organic practices.
Compared to expensive, experimental, high-tech projects, global transition to biologically based farming can be achieved without new technology or expensive investment. With a problem so dire, a need so urgent, and a solution so available, the path to responsible terrestrial stewardship is clear. And because regenerative organic agricultural practices are scalable globally, it’s a solution that can be adapted all over the world.
Image credit::excerpt from photo of organic plot, Organic Farming at Longhaul Farm
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I wonder how much it would cost to convert the CO2 produced in a car into liquid CO2 real-time. When you fill your gas tank, you could simultaneously drain your liquid CO2 which could be piped into a huge clear-plastic covered algae farm that uses it, along with trace elements, water, and photosynthesis to produce fuel.
That would complete the whole cycle with no losses, except for heat and friction from the car, which is replenished by photosynthesis-produced-energy via the algae.
Solar energy at it's best.
African farmers have been using organic farming for thousands of years. In fact, many still use techniques predating the industrial revolution.
They also have this problem with "starving" when their yields are to low they go "hungry". Now I know environmentalists are not usually contemplating this but it is possible to get so little calories that one "dies".
I for one don't give a %@#$%#@$ what industrial farming does to ancient societies, rather, I don't want people to "starve" and "die" so I'm on the side of non organic farming.
=== editor's response follows ===
It may be worth considering that famine in Africa is typically associated with periodic and severe drought. This has nothing whatsoever to do with being organic in ones' farming methods. Irrigation is allowed.
The other major reason for famine in Africa is the lack of marketing infrastructure like roads, refrigeration, boards of trade, and so on.
Ther is a need to realise the fact that, environment comprises precisely the fowwing three components:
1. Thoughts. 2. Energy 3. Matter
which are closely and complexly intervowen with each other. For practically all human being, thoughts are limited to human only,any one hardly knows about the thoughts of other species of life.
The fundamental of environment protection and conservation lies in practicing the concept of 5R's viz.
1.Reduce - Your requirements
- Resource consumption
- Wast generation
- Race againdt time.
2. Reclame - Resources put out of use but not
actually wasted.
3. Repair - All products, which can be repaired
easily at low environmnetal cost.
4. Recycle - All reclaimed and repaired products.
5. Reuse - All repaider and recycled products.
Thus education is the key for environmental protection/conservation incorporating the 1.Preventive 2.Curitive and 3.Punitive methods in life.
There is no such thing as pure organic farming.Try growing without pestisides the bugs will eat everything.That is why the food yeild is so low in Africa.Also not using chemical fertilizers can cause semonela because they are using sewage.