"yield is a
central metric of sustainability. High yields are an indicator of efficient use
of resources. High yields indicate that water, fuel, fertilizer, pesticides,
labor, etc were successfully transformed into food instead weeds, bug food, and
run off. There is nothing sustainable about pouring resources into a crop that
are co-opted by weeds or wasted by pests and disease."
Marc Brazeau
| January 20, 2015
Last month, The
Proceedings of the Royal Society published a study entitled “Diversification
practices reduce organic to conventional yield gap”. The paper is the largest meta-analysis of
comparative conventional farming to organic farming studies done to date. They
put together a large data set and compared the yields between the two
approaches and the effects of a wide range of variables. The paper was met
with a wide round of applause among foodies and organic activists. The idea of
organic farming is very appealing, and many people hope that evidence that
there is little difference in yields versus conventional agriculture,
particularly where GMOs are grown, will lead to wider adoption. The problem in
all this is that the study’s conclusions don’t match the findings–and the
coverage of the study completely missed this salient fact……To Read More….
My Take -
Although I'm not opposed to anyone who wishes to wallow in the
"organic" or "all natural" fever swamps, I am however
outraged at the hubris these people display. It's the same world over with the
green movement and their cat's paws in the media. One lies and the other swears
by those lies. Without having to read one study I've known from very early on
all these "organic" claims was claptrap. How? Was it by "faith" I
knew this? No, it was based on a rule I’ve never seen fail.
“If you want to find out why people are doing what they
do, find out how they're being rewarded.”
World over farmers abandoned organic for modern techniques - why? Farmers are the most frugal people on the planet. It doesn’t
mean they're cheap, it merely means they don't waste. Are we supposed to
believe they abandoned "organic" in favor of what's called
"conventional" farming techniques for no reason? If modern techniques
didn't reduce their overall costs, labor and increase their crop yield without
increasing the amount of land being used they wouldn’t have made the change,
because that change generated extra initial costs. And farmers don't spend
money on things that don’t work.....better!
I find the real world experiences of
people who actually do these things for a living is far more
enlightening than speculative claims based on assumptions, misinterpretation of
facts and blatantly false studies that promote a billion dollar industry –
organic farming!
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