Organic foods maybe good for us but bad for environment

Organic foods have been on the rise since it came into fashion. Vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and meat which are grown and processed using non-conventional methods not only tend to carry a hefty price but also are usually thought to be of higher quality and better for health. But the matter that needs our focus is "the production of organic foods may not be good for the environment" - stated by associate professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Stefan Wirsenius.

Organic foods - soil science - environment management

Their study showed that organic peas farmed in Sweden, had around a 50% bigger climate impact than conventionally farmed peas. Recently it was reported that organic food had a larger impact on Earth's climate than previously though, mostly because of how much land is required to grow it compared to conventionally grown food - according to the Economic Times.

Organic foods are now so popular in United States that the USDA has even provided certain requirements for certification of organic products depending on how much of the products are made organically. The yields each hectare produces for organically grown food is much lower than foods grown by conventional way because of lack of fertilizer.

Organic food cultivation - deforestation - soil science

To produce the same amount of food organically as is grown conventionally, farmers need more land which will clearly lead to deforestation. Other foods such as organic meat and milk, produced by organic-fed livestock, also require more land and resources, which is bad for climate change.

Wirsenius explained that the greater land use in organic farming leads indirectly to higher carbon dioxide emissions. "If we use more land for the same amount of food, we contribute indirectly to greater deforestation elsewhere in the world" - he concluded.