Latest Breaking News On - Farmers weekly - Page 5 : vimarsana.com
Science for Sustainable Agriculture (SSA) was recently asked by the farming media to comment on a policy paper issued by the organic certification body Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G), calling on the UK Government to use its forthcoming land use framework to treble the area of organically managed land in England, claiming this would result in significant climate and biodiversity benefits. Science for Sustainable Agriculture (SSA) was recently asked by the farming media to comment on a policy paper issued by the organic certification body Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G), calling on the UK Government to use its forthcoming land use framework to treble the area of organically managed land in England, claiming this would result in significant climate and biodiversity benefits.Having reviewed the report, SSA welcomed OF&G’s acknowledgement that no single farming system holds all the solutions to the challenges facing our food system, but questioned the paper’s claim that a three-fold increase in the organic area would benefit the climate, biodiversity and the environment, taking into account the consequences of reduced food production on that farmland. This is what we wrote: “The scientific evidence increasingly indicates that optimising food production on as small a land area as possible is the most sustainable way to feed a growing population while leaving space for nature and carbon sequestration. OF&G’s 10% target for organic land use is relatively modest, but the fact remains that any increase in organic farming will inevitably reduce yields, requiring more land elsewhere to make up for the loss in production. This could have significantly worse environmental and climate impacts at a global level. It would also drive up prices to consumers, many of whom cannot afford to pay a premium for organic food. These factors do not appear to have been accounted for in the report. In an increasingly volatile world, with food prices and availability seriously impacted by war, geopolitical instability and a rapidly changing climate, safeguarding our future food security is becoming as important as national security. The way forward does not lie in turning back the clock, but in embracing high-tech solutions, applying scientific data and evidence, and combining innovation with established best practice from a range of farming systems.”
CambridgeCambridgeshireUnited-kingdomIndiaJohan-rockstrHenry-dimblebyStephen-carrWimpole-hallAndrew-balmfordTim-bentonNational-food-strategyWorld-resources-institute