Critiques of Organic Agriculture: The Balancing Act

Some argue that the environmental impacts and costs of industrial agriculture are justified, because people are fed, and food costs are low. We must ask ourselves however – at what cost? Industrial agriculture is the largest cause of water pollution and erosion. It overproduces cash crops, the excesses of which are disposed of either in the sea or in foreign nations, where it puts poor farmers out of work because they can’t compete with below-cost American corn. This unnecessary excess is encouraged by subsidies and pork-barrel politics, not the actual market or needs of the people. (see previous post on Jesus’ sentiments on the love of money). We have better ways of food production, namely organic and polycropping, which improve the soil and work with God’s created natural cycle rather than against it, which seek to help the environment and people, rather than exploit them.

Opponents of an organic food system claim that it cannot provide enough food for current populations but this view has been proven incorrect by studies that prove it can.[1] Some studies have even found that organic food production results in a higher yield, especially in developing countries. Other critics argue that it would take too much space to grow organic food because of a lower yield per acre, but repeated studies on biointensive farming (a type of organic food production) shows that 1 acre can meet all food needs for a year for ~12 people. In America, we must remember that our overproduction of cash crops (corn in particular, but also wheat, rice, and sorghum) takes up millions of acres producing unneeded and unwanted goods. Scaling back to meet the actual market desires would be a good thing, environmentally and economically and would free up any necessary space for organic farming. In addition, there are currently millions of acres of farmland that farmers are paid not to farm by the government as an attempt at price regulation. These unused acres could also be called into play.

Thus, the question regarding switching to organic isn’t space or productivity limits, it’s the system and subsidies, which currently prohibit market competition from unsubsidized organic agriculture.

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[1] WorldWatch Institute. Brian Halweil.