THIRD WORLD NETWORK INFORMATION SERVICE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Organic Agriculture a Viable Option to Feed and Nourish the Planet
Today, 795 million people today are still food insecure and achievement of hunger targets is challenged by issues of access, infrastructure, climate, macroeconomics and political stability.
Drawing on scientific evidence and field experiences, the Charter of the International Organic Action Network in Expo Milan 2015 entitled "Organic Agriculture Can Feed the Planet" explains why and how that organic agriculture represents the only food and farming innovation of the last century that is a socially, and economically and ecologically resilient approach for the production of food and agriculture-based raw materials.
The Charter cites that the combined advantages of organic practices have a greenhouse gas reduction potential of 5.1 to 6.1 GT CO2 equivalent and would use one-third less the energy used by conventional farms. This means that a global conversion to organic management would transform agriculture from being a main cause of global warming to being a carbon-neutral activity that is more resilient to climate change.
In terms of health, organic produce is more nutritious with scientific evidence that organic diets decrease the incidence of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. Organic farming generates about 30% more work in rural areas with higher returns per unit of labour input. It further empowers social systems to control their own food supply and is conducive to short and fair supply chains. Ethically, organic agriculture promotes a cautious and responsible management of food and farming systems and rejects technologies and processes that do not respect human rights and animal welfare and that cannot guarantee safety and the avoidance of negative consequences.
In conclusion, organic agriculture offers a feasible sustainable solution to nourish the planet by improving performance at all levels, including better access to food, relevant technologies, economic efficiency, nutritional adequacy, environmental quality and social equity. Conversion of global agriculture to organic management, without further converting wild lands to agriculture and using nitrogen fertilisers, would result in a global agricultural supply in 2050 comparable to that of conventional agriculture, that is 3,038 kcal/person/day.
The full Charter is available at http://www.bioagricert.org/images/doc-en/carta_forum_bio_in_expo_en.pdf
With best wishes,
Third World Network
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