Anyone that believes in organic food already knows this intuitively, but it’s nice to get scientific confirmation, especially when encountering the Great Brainwashed (those that think giant, corporate factory farming is more productive).

The Rodale Institute has been doing side-by-side comparisons of conventional and organic farming plots growing soybeans and corn for nearly 30 years and the latest stats are here. The result? The plots continue to have similar yields, but the organic areas performed much better in building soil carbon (which is good for the climate) and retaining nitrogen in the soil, which is a necessity for long term cultivation.

Tom Philpott of Grist Magazine had this to say about the data:

As the globe warms up, increased droughts are likely to reduce global crop yields. The ag-biotech industry is scrambling to come out with “drought-resistant” GMO crops. But organic ag might already have that covered: “In 4 out of 5 years of moderate drought, the organic systems had significantly higher corn yields (31 percent higher) than the conventional system.”

Organic wins again!

A recent survey of 100 million plus U.S. households revealed that vegetables and fruits spending now surpasses purchases for lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers. The survey also revealed that among gardeners:

• 53% grow vegetables in their gardens
• 90% plan to eat the produce fresh
• 66% will share with friends
• 36% will can or preserve produce
• 24% will donate food to others

A different survey by the National Gardening Association, looked at the reasons people start gardens:

• 58% desire better tasting food
• 54% want to save money on food bills
• 51% want better quality food
• 48% want to grow food they know is safe

You go gardeners! Read the rest of the story from the Mayo clinic.

If ever the organic food movement needed a loud trumpet blast in support of the cause, a ringing endorsement of it’s efficacy, it has arrived in the form of a pronouncement by Olivier De Schutter, a UN Special Rapporteur:

“To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available. Today’s scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live – especially in unfavorable environments.

To date, agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80% in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116% for all African projects. Recent projects conducted in 20 African countries demonstrated a doubling of crop yields over a period of 3-10 years.”

Read the rest of this inspiring eco-farming story.