Washington State University: Organic farming is a double win — more profitable and more sustainable.

Critical to feeding the world sustainably

An assessment of organic farming relative to conventional farming illustrates that organic systems better balance the four areas of sustainability. Credit: Reganold and Wachter, WSU.

Washington State University has compiled 40 years of research comparing organic farming to conventional. While conventional has dominated the world, I believe it is driven by a bunch of entrepreneurs touting their seeds are better (and needed) for the farmer.

Washington State has shown that farmers have been sold up a river. If I was a farmer today, I would be terrified of being a commodity farmer. Held captive by seed farmers and government support. And as a result, the infrastructure that has been built up over the past 40 years to match government support. This last part is critical. If you’re a commodity corn farmer in Iowa, you’re locked into an infrastructure that keeps you a commodity corn farmer. Everything from the granaries in place to processing, to trains for carrying corn, all infrastructure is designed for corn and soybeans. Because you’re locked in to farming commodity conventional corn and soybeans simply due to infrastructure, the farmer is squeezed to the point where a 2% return is considered ‘I got lucky this season’.

“Pullman, WA: Washington State University researchers have concluded that feeding a growing global population with sustainability goals in mind is possible. Their review of hundreds of published studies provides evidence that organic farming can produce sufficient yields, be profitable for farmers, protect and improve the environment and be safer for farm workers.”

Where do we go from here? Let’s get government support for farmers to make the transition to organic. It’s a leap that requires support from government, but after the 3 year transition, it’s clear that the farmer is more profitable, we’ll nourish the world, and our future is more sustainable.

Last year, Maria Rodale and I wrote an Op-Ed, Lost in Transition, for the Des Moines Register. It would be so simple for the government to support farmers to become more profitable and farm sustainably. Check it out here.

Original brief and report can be found here: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/wsu-oak020116.php