(source www.greenme.it). Organic farms increase the wealth of plants, insects and other animals (i.e. biodiversity) on our planet by an average of 34% compared to conventional farms.
According to new research from the University of Oxford published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. In the study, the data obtained from 94 previous researches were analyzed with the aim of estimating land use in different types of farms (184 sampled) and seeing how this has an impact on the richness of animal and plant species.
The study went so far as to analyze the situation back in time to 1989 and, comparing the old data with those of today, it was seen that organic has always contributed to increasing biodiversity and continues to do so constantly today.
“Our study has demonstrated that organic agriculture, as an alternative to conventional agriculture, can produce significant long-term benefits for biodiversity. Biological methods could somehow stop the continuous loss of diversity in industrialized countries,” said Sean Tuck of the Oxford University Department of Plant Sciences, one of the main authors of the study.
Fundamental pollinating insects such as bees, for example, in organic farms are present in a greater number of species (+50%) than traditional farms, but unfortunately there is no data on the total number of bees, useful for understanding if the latter also grows if an agriculture without pesticides is used.
The only concern about the role of organic with respect to the environmental impact concerns the products that come from developing countries where there is often great pressure on the land to provide enough food (since organic generally offers a lower yield) with the consequent conversion of natural habitat into agricultural land.
Lindsay Turnbull, from Oxford University's Department of Plant Sciences, said: “More research is needed on the impact of agriculture in tropical and subtropical regions. For example, there are no studies on organic bananas or cocoa beans, two of the most popular organic products found in European supermarkets. At present, we simply cannot say whether buying organic bananas or chocolate has an environmental benefit.”
Francesca Biagioli
