Global agribusiness, dependency, marginalisation of self sufficiency and organic farming
Is organic-based farming merely a niche model of agriculture
that is not capable of feeding the global population? Or does it have a
major role to play?
In addressing these questions, it would be useful to consider a
selection of relevant literature to see what it says about the role of organic farming, how this model of agriculture impacts farmers and whether or not it can actually feed the global population.
Organic farming and sustainable livelihoods
In ‘The impact of organic farming on food security in a regional and global perspective’,
Halberg et al (2006) argue that while present food production in theory
is sufficient to cover the energy and protein needs of the global
population, there are still more than 740 million food insecure people,
the majority of whom live in the Global South. The researchers indicate
that if a conversion to organic farming of approximately 50% of the
agricultural area in the Global South were to be carried out, it would
result in increased self-sufficiency and decreased net food import to
the region.
Following on from this, in the 2013 book ‘Organic Agriculture for Sustainable Livelihioods’
by Halberg and Muller, the authors suggest that organic crops tend to
provide farmers with a higher net income compared to their conventional
counterparts due to lower production costs. The book provides convincing
evidence that organic farming has a positive influence on smallholder
food security and livelihoods. This is important because smallholder
agriculture is key to food production in the Global South, where food insecurity is most prevalent.
Aaron Iverson makes
a pertinent point about this book: Halberg and Muller factor into their
analyses the economic benefits of organic agriculture over conventional
agriculture, which accrue over several years to decades. Iverson says
that such analyses on these time scales are rare. Based on extensive
research and modelling, the two authors indicate that organic farming
promotes crop diversity, improves worker health due to less chemical
exposure, increases social and human capital, increases farmland
biodiversity, lowers pollution, increases soil fertility and is less
financially risky due to lower upfront costs. Among other things, it
also sequesters more soil carbon and is less vulnerable to climate
change due to improved soil properties.
