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Resource efficiency in organic farming |
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Many of the natural resources that are essential for food production are becoming increasingly scarce and costly. For example:
- 16% of EU agricultural land is threatened by water erosion
- nitrogen pollution in the EU costs EUR 70-320 billion a year
- mineral phosphorus is expected to peak within the next 2 generations
- one in four species in the EU is threatened by extinction
- we are exceeding groundwater’s replenishment capacity by 160 billion cubic metres per year
- the EU’s biofuel hunger will rise by 85% by 2020, putting more pressure on land resources
Food and farming systems will have to adapt to deal with the upcoming serious constraints of energy and nutrient shortage, loss of biodiversity and topsoil, water supplies and land availabilities.
Organic food and farm systems have a high potentialtoplay a leading role in meeting these
challenges asEU-wide certified,holistic system approach in permanent progress,
and also as an innovative role model for agriculture and ecosystem management in
general. Organic farming
- leads to improved soil structures and higher
carbon content
- hosts on average 30% higher biodiversity on farmland
- practices disallow use of synthetic fertiliser and
encourage nutrient recycling practices
- significantly reduces nitrate leaching through
crop rotations, green manure, and cover crops
- does not require synthetic pesticides or
fertilisers, sources more feed domestically and holds fewer animals, and
therefore has great potential to use less energy
- is generally better suited to withstand extreme
weather events
More information:
“Resource Efficiency and Organic Farming: Facing up to the challenge ” (IFOAM EU, 2011)
“Organic food and farming – a system approach to meet the sustainability challenge” (IFOAM EU, 2010)
Resource Efficiency and Food Security: Opportunities and Challenges for
Sustainable Food Systems, Conference, presentations and report (November
2011)
The European Commission has identified resource efficiency as a key challenge of the coming decade in its Roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe, and firmly enshrined it in its Europe 2020 strategy, the global list of priorities for the EU until 2020. For more information on the Commission’s resource efficiency communications, visit the Resource Efficiency website, or the more interactive Generation Awake webpage.
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