Organic Yields Higher Than Previous Estimates Claims New Study

A major review comparing organic and conventional farming has found organic crop yields are much higher than previously thought.

The analysis of 115 studies showed that organic crop yields were only 19.2% lower on average than conventional crops, a smaller difference than previous estimates.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, also found that certain practices could further shrink the productivity gap between organic and conventional farming.

Senior study author Prof Claire Kremen said: “With global food needs predicted to greatly increase in the next 50 years, it’s critical to look more closely at organic farming, because aside from the environmental effects of industrial agriculture, the ability of synthetic fertilisers to increase crop yields has been declining.”

The researchers pointed out that the available studies comparing farming methods were often biased in favour of conventional agriculture, so the estimate of the yield gap is likely overestimated.