One of the major environmental issues with conventional farming is the use of nitrogen fertilisers.
What is Nitrogen?
Nitrogen is crucial to life, but in excess it can also be harmful to the environment. Modern agriculture relies heavily on nitrogen fertilizers to boost crop yields. However, excessive application or inefficient use can lead to nitrogen runoff into water bodies and emissions of nitrous oxide. It’s use in agriculture plays a complex role in climate change through various pathways:
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Nitrous Oxide Emissions through fertiliser use. Nitrogen fertilizers, especially synthetic ones like urea, contribute significantly to nitrous oxide emissions. N2O is a potent greenhouse gas with a much higher global warming potential than CO2.
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Nitrogen runoff from agriculture and other sources contributes to eutrophication in water bodies. This excess nitrogen stimulates algal blooms, which can deplete oxygen levels when they decay, impacting aquatic ecosystems and releasing CO2 and methane.
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Nitrogen oxides from agricultural practices can also contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone, a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant.
The Organic Solution
Organic standards ban the use of nitrogen fertilisers. Farmers instead use natural fertilisers such as manure and compost, which are not harmful to the environment.
As animal feed such as oats and other grains require a large amount of nitrogen fertilisation, organic livestock are fed on grass.
1. Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
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Nitrous Oxide (N2O): Organic farming practices typically use natural fertilizers like compost and manure instead of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. This reduces nitrogen inputs, thereby lowering nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
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Carbon Sequestration: Organic farming methods such as cover cropping, crop rotation, and reduced tillage promote soil organic carbon sequestration. This helps mitigate climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.
2. Improved Soil Health and Resilience:
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Enhanced Soil Structure: Organic farming practices promote soil health by increasing organic matter content and improving soil structure. Healthy soils with better structure are more resilient to climate impacts such as droughts and heavy rainfall.
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Water Management: Organic practices often improve water infiltration and retention in soils, reducing the need for irrigation and enhancing resilience to water scarcity.
3. Reduced Energy Use and Carbon Footprint:
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Lower Energy Inputs: Organic farming generally relies less on fossil fuel-intensive inputs like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This reduces the carbon footprint associated with agricultural production.
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Local and Sustainable Practices: Organic farming often encourages local production and consumption, which further reduces transportation-related emissions compared to conventional farming systems.
4. Biodiversity Conservation:
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Promotion of Biodiversity: Organic farming practices support biodiversity by avoiding synthetic chemicals that can harm beneficial organisms. Diverse ecosystems are more resilient to climate change impacts and can provide natural pest control and pollination services.
5. Climate Resilience and Adaptation:
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Adaptive Strategies: Organic farming techniques, such as diversified cropping systems and agroecological approaches, can enhance farmers' adaptive capacity to climate change impacts.
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Long-term Sustainability: By maintaining soil health and reducing reliance on external inputs, organic farming systems can sustain productivity over the long term, even under changing climate conditions.
We often talk about the benefits to your health when choosing organic, but perhaps the most important benefit is to that of our Earth and future generations. Organic farming represents a holistic approach to agriculture that can contribute positively to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. By promoting practices that enhance soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve biodiversity, and improve resilience to climate impacts, organic farming offers a pathway towards sustainable agriculture and a healthier planet.
