Green Options » The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Mov http://greenoptions.com/tag/the-international-federation-of-organic-agriculture-mov Posts tagged 'The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Mov' Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:00:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en 24 African Countries Double Their Yield Using Organic Farming http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/24-african-countries-double-their-yield-using-organic-farming/ http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/24-african-countries-double-their-yield-using-organic-farming/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:00:27 +0000 Robin Shreeves http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/24-african-countries-double-their-yield-using-organic-farming/ African woman preparing foodA recently released UN report on the effects of organic, or near organic, farming methods in 24 African countries has some interesting, and encouraging, findings. 114 projects in the 24 African countries were analyzed and the results found that yields more than doubled where the organic, or near organic, methods were implemented. In East Africa the results were even more impressive.

The study

found that organic practices outperformed traditional methods and chemical-intensive conventional farming. It also found strong environmental benefits such as improved soil fertility, better retention of water and resistance to drought. And the research highlighted the role that learning organic practices could have in improving local education.

Africa has been a continent where many have advocated the use of GMO crops and factory farms that use unsustainable methods to stop the food shortage that many parts of Africa are experiencing at the moment. But this study shows that perhaps these modern farming techniques are unnecessary and perhaps counterproductive.

Read more of this story »

]]> http://sustainablog.org/2008/10/23/24-african-countries-double-their-yield-using-organic-farming/feed/