Organic farming is widely regarded as a sustainable solution for food production, utilizing natural methods of pest control to support environmentally friendly cultivation.
Researchers have discovered that the negative “spillover effects” can be reduced by clustering organic farms together and keeping them geographically separate from conventional farms.
Ashley Larsen, the lead author from the University of California, Santa Barbara, highlighted the existing knowledge gaps in understanding how organic agriculture impacts the environment, despite efforts to increase its prevalence through policy.
While organic farming practices generally enhance environmental conditions such as soil and water quality, the potential trade-offs are not fully comprehended.
For instance, organic fields may support a greater diversity of beneficial species that prey on insects, such as birds, spiders, and predatory beetles, while also potentially harboring fewer pests due to the absence of chemical pesticides and genetically modified seeds.
2024-03-22 08:00:03
Link from phys.org