Global Warming and Its Link to Organic

Published April 25, 2008 @ 10:22AM PT

Global Warming is an issue that impacts everyone, yet it is also is an issue where everyone can make an impact.

Simple everyday tasks, such as what food you buy, can either contribute to—or reduce—global warming. Rodale Institute research shows that organically managed soils can store (sequester) more than 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre, while non-organic systems can cause carbon loss. For consumers, this means that the simple act of buying organic products can help to reduce global climate change.
“In this age of carbon awareness, we think farmers should be well rewarded for innovative stewardship that builds soil for future generations,” says Tim LaSalle, the Institute’s CEO.

Food decisions matter Your food decisions matter because how food was grown, processed and transported may have demanded lots of fuel, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers—all contributors to global warming—without pulling any new carbon into the soil in the process. Instead of being converted to carbon for later use by plants, as in organic farming systems, crop residues in the conventional system quickly burn up, releasing CO2—a major greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere. Further, synthetic fertilizers used in non-organic farming are the largest source of carbon dioxide generation in agriculture. Our side-by-side field trials—where we have been comparing conventional and organic agriculture for nearly 30 years—show we can produce corn and soybeans with an average yield the same as the conventional system, while building soil health and cutting energy use. In dry years, the organic system tends to even do better, thanks to improved water-holding capacity of the extra soil organic matter.
Great carbon-holding potential Right now, American farmlands under organic production represent just a sliver of the pie. Even so, the 2.4 million U.S. acres managed organically in 2005—just 0.5 percent of all U.S. cropland—captured an estimated 2.4 billion pounds of atmospheric carbon. Imagine this: the carbon sequestration potential of 25 percent or even 50 percent of U.S. agricultural farmlands converted to organic production is 120 to 240 billion pounds per year, the equivalent of removing up to 42 million cars from the road! In this age of carbon trading and ecological footprinting, we think organic farmers should be rewarded for innovation and stewardship that protects and builds the soil for future generations as they produce food for us now. That’s why we continue pioneering research to help farmers sequester carbon through how they raise their crops and their livestock, and to reduce or eliminate synthetic products that would add to carbon emissions.
Favor carbon-smart farming Our national agricultural policy—embedded in five-year Farm Bill plans, like the one currently being negotiated—urgently needs transformation to encourage carbon-smart farming rather than commodity crops. International trade policy can do the same if nations are allowed to give preference to crops and products with a lower carbon footprint. Good food policy will free up farmers to become the new champions in fighting climate change to create a better future for us all.