http://orgprints.org/5514/ Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming An understanding of agroecosystems is a key to determining effective farming systems. Here we report results from a 21-year study of agronomic and ecological performance of biodynamic, bioorganic, and conventional farming systems in Central Europe. We found crop yields to be 20% lower in the organic systems, although input of fertilizer and energy was reduced by 34 to 53% and pesticide input by 97%. Enhanced soil fertility and higher biodiversity found in organic plots may render these systems less dependent on external inputs. Mäder, Paul Fliessbach, Andreas Dubois, David Gunst, Lucie Fried, Padruot Niggli, Urs 4nutrient 2soilbiol 7biodiversity ch-agroscope-fal annual-crop-production Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming 2005-11-02 Mäder, Paul; Fliessbach, Andreas; Dubois, David; Gunst, Lucie; Fried, Padruot and Niggli, Urs (2002) Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming. Science, 296, pp. 1694-1697. application/pdf application/pdf