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IN THE KNOW ABOUT THE “O”
ORGANIC and CLIMATE CHANGE
www.ota.com
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Why think about food systems when it comes to climate change?
There is a lot of energy expended in our food production, from growing, to processing and packaging, to distributing our food. The way land is managed to grow food hugely influences whether agriculture contributes to or mitigates climate change—by either using or saving energy and either storing carbon in the soil or releasing it into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases contribute directly to climate change and increases in extreme weather events like droughts, fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. Non-organic food systems contribute about 30 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The good news is that a growing body of research points to organic farming techniques as a way to release fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and store more carbon in the soil.
Greenhouse gas release into the atmosphere
Organic farming releases fewer greenhouse gases primarily because it does not use synthetic inputs. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers require a lot of energy to make and apply.
Greenhouse gas storage in the soil
Eighty percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon is stored in soils. Proper management of soils can increase carbon storage and reduce its release into the atmosphere. Healthy soils store more carbon. The improvement and maintenance of soil health are considered cornerstones of organic agriculture. Certified organic farmers are required to use practices like using compost and manure, diverse crop rotations, and cover crops to build healthy soils and lock away carbon in long-term reserves.
More soil carbon also helps farmers adapt to climate change.
Carbon stored in the ground for both short and long term helps mitigate climate change. Benefits include:
y Reduced soil erosion (important during heavy rain and flooding).
y Reduced soil compaction and improved soil aeration and water filtration, increasing the soil’s water-holding capacity.
y More availability of essential nutrients, keeping plants healthier. This reduces the need for soil amendments.
y Increased soil biodiversity that improves soil structure. y Increased resistance to soil diseases by providing a food
source for beneficial microbes.
Organic soils store more carbon and for longer.
While locking away carbon in the soil is essential for mitigating climate change, not all carbon storage is created equal. There are different components of the soil that store carbon in different ways. Some store it for the short-term, and some store it for the long-term.
The longer we keep carbon from releasing into the atmosphere, the better.
A study by the National Soil Project at Northeastern University, conducted in collaboration with The Organic Center, found that organic soils not only do a better job of storing carbon overall, but also contain 26 percent more long-term carbon storage potential than conventional soils. This suggests that organic farming can be part of the long-term solution for climate change.
Organic livestock standards are good for the animal and good for the planet.
What animals eat, how their feed is produced, and where they are housed all influence greenhouse gas emissions. Organic standards keep livestock healthier, and help mitigate climate change by requiring practices that build soil health to store carbon, and feed that uses less energy to grow. For instance, organic cows and sheep must have access to pasture for a minimum of 120 days a year (conventional imposes no minimum).
Grazing system use less energy and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions than grain-fed systems.
Pasture-based grazing means that animals eat less grain. Feed grain is largely made of corn and soy–annual crops requiring a lot of energy to produce and transport, emitting a lot of greenhouse gases. Pasture, meanwhile, is made up of perennial grasses requiring few inputs to grow year after year, especially under organic management which prohibits synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
Grazing systems sequester carbon; intensive, non-pasture based systems do not.
Well-managed pasture can improve soil quality and store carbon
to help adapt to and mitigate climate change by incorporating manure into the soil. Additionally, when crops are rotated with livestock and utilize manure for fertilizer, the potential for soil carbon storage dramatically increases. Intensive conventional, non- pasture based dairy production does not sequester carbon because management is not soil based. Instead, manure is stored in lagoons, which release methane and nitrous oxide without storing carbon to offset their release of greenhouse gases.
This was written by Dr. Amber Sciligo, Manager of Science Programs for The Organic Center (organic-center.org).
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