Organic Produce Eco Label

Some people might say that organic farming methods are inefficient, in that they often produce less turnips per square metre than a farm where fertiliser and pesticides are used. . . .  and they'd be right. Sort of.

Standard farming methods appear more efficient, but what you are seeing is a pay off from the masses of energy that has gone in to producing artificial fertilizers and pesticides. In fact a study found a 20% smaller yield from organic farms using 50% less fertilizer and 97% less pesticide. As much as forty percent of energy used in the food system goes towards the production of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

Those of you from the UK may recognise this logo, its found on most organic products in the UK. The Soil Association have set of standards that must be adhered to, if farmers want to classify their produce as organic. http://www.soilassociation.org/

Organic labelling has been around for decades, and in the UK at least has developed a very high credibility. This is a model newly formed labelling strategies will have to follow, if they are to suceed.

The below table shows the difference between conventional rearing of live stock and organic, which would you prefer to eat, but perhaps more relevant is what can you afford to eat.

Full Table on Organic Versus Conventinal

Effect of Emissions

Research at the Rodale Institute has shown that organic practices can remove about 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year and sequester it in an acre of farmland. Thus, Rodale estimates that if all 434 million acres of U.S. cropland were converted to organic practices, it would be the equivalent of eliminating 217 million cars—nearly 88 percent of all cars in the country today and more than a third of all the automobiles in the world.
Source: Tim J. LaSalle and Paul Hepperly, Regenerative Organic Farming: A Solution to Global Warming, Rodale Institute, 2008.

More on Carbon Impact of Organic Farming

Benefits of Organic Food to the Environment