Effect of Organic Farming on Soil Nutrients and Structure

Effect of Organic Farming on Soil Nutrients and Structure

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Since the 1970s, the agribusiness and agrochemical industries have been aware of a growing problem: as the global population soars, soils around the world are becoming less suitable for farming as a result of erosion, nutrient depletion, and structural degradation. In the United States, about 60,000 farmers have abandoned the "conventional" system which relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and adopted the organic farming systems that allowed areas of China and India to be successfully farmed for 4,000 years (Reganold et al., 1990, p. 112). Organic farmers use plant matter and animal and municipal wastes for fertilizer, and rely on natural predators and disease-resistant crop strains to keep insects and fungi under control. While these methods are appealing to many on philosophical grounds, they also bring tangible benefits to farmers who observe improved soil structure, nutrient levels, and erosion control.

Many of the benefits that farmers claim to receive from organic farming are related to increased humus levels. Droeven et al. (1980) found that field which received additions of farm-yard manure (FYM) had organic matter levels that were significantly higher than those in fields using chemical fertilizers and plowing in the plant matter from previous crops -- the method used on conventional farms (p. 215). Reganold et al. (1993) compared 16 biodynamic (organic farms that also incorporate silica and plant preparations) and conventional farms and reported that the biodynamic soils consistently had a 1% greater carbon content (p<0.01) (p. 346).

This increased organic matter content has a variety of positive consequences. Reganold ...

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...ic farming measurably disrupts natural processes, but it must be noted that a great deal of plant material is not returned to the soil in Nigerian farming practices, and so has the opportunity to deplete the soil in nutrients that plants use to grow.

While the findings of Aweto and Ayuba provide strong evidence that organic farming probably can not leave any soil ecosystem undisturbed. The simple act of removing some plant matter causes nutrient depletion over time. However, the addition of manure and plant material, rather than simply using inorganic fertilizers provides a way adapt natural processes in the soil to aid in the cultivation of crops. The benefits of a healthy soil ecosystem range from decreased erosion to easier plowing. And through recycling the wastes that are now being produced, agribusiness may yet be able to feed the global human population.