The Biodiversity Park at Expo Milan 2015 hosted a conference on the role of organic farming in the fight against global warming and climate change. The data that emerged leave no room for doubt. Organic farming produces far less CO2.
Organic farming is one of the greatest allies in the fight against global warming and the climate change that stems from it. Why? Simple: greenhouse gas emissions are more than halved compared to so-called conventional farming practices. This was the conclusion reached at the conference The role of organic farming in the fight against climate change, held on Monday 24 August at the Teatro della Terra, within the Biodiversity Park at Expo Milan 2015.
This conclusion emerged from research carried out by Paola Migliorini, associate professor at the University of Pisa and vice-president of AgriBioMediterraneo, affiliated with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (Ifoam). The study was conducted in Italy over five years, from 2003 to 2007, and produced extraordinary results. Thanks to long crop rotations capable of enriching the soil with organic matter, land farmed using organic methods increased its capacity to absorb CO2 (compared to conventionally farmed land). The emissions reduction recorded reached peaks of 58 per cent per cultivated hectare and of over 60 per cent per kilogram of crop harvested. Migliorini's research also debunked the common assumption that organically farmed land yields less than conventionally farmed land. Over the long term, the yield is the same.
The conference was moderated by meteorologist Luca Lombroso, one of the most active voices in raising awareness on the subject of climate change and in debunking myths and inaccurate information. "The agricultural sector is responsible for the largest slice of the atmospheric emissions pie, alongside deforestation and more than transport," said Lombroso. "Today it is essential to implement any initiative that addresses the need to reduce emissions. So if organic farming can help to reduce this slice, it is necessary to convert crops — all the more so given that climate reports tell us our goal is to reach net zero emissions by 2070."
A line of reasoning that leaves no room for doubt. Organic farming, then, is not only "good" because it protects the environment and our health from fertilisers and pesticides, because it gives us foods richer in flavour and nutrients, but it is also the path to follow to counter global warming.