Cross-Post: Union for Concerned Scientists http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/feed/feed-november-2008.html#2
Contents
1. USDA regulations would allow pharma crops to threaten food supply
2. New organic rules guarantee pasture for grazers
3. MRSA associated with food animals
4. Organic farming in Africa wins over chemical methods
5. California voters pass initiative to modernize food animal production
4. Organic farming in Africa wins over chemical methods. A major study from the United Nations Environment Program reported that the use of organic practices in Africa produces higher yields than farming with pesticides and fertilizers. The study of 114 projects in 24 countries found that yields often more than doubled when organic or near-organic practices such as crop rotation and composting were used. Organic agriculture also brought benefits to families and communities: it encouraged the improvement of local infrastructure like roads, built social relations in the community, increased farmers' incomes, improved soil fertility, and increased the land's resistance to drought. Because organic agriculture relies on available resources rather than on expensive inputs like genetically engineered seed or pesticides, poor farmers can more readily implement organic methods than industrial agriculture methods, and they can retain more earnings. The study concluded that organic techniques are a practical way for African farmers to achieve the crop yields they need and generate food security for the growing population. Read the report (pdf), or read an article about it in The Independent (UK).