Organic farming - stewardship for food security, food quality, environment and nature conservation

Summary

Conventional agriculture is associated with problems such as pesticide residues in soils and plants, contamination of meat with antibiotics and hormones, and eutrophication of water bodies. An alternative for consumers is the consumption of products from organic farming. Organic farming can contribute to environmental protection and nature conservation in many ways, for instance by improving soil porosity which yields higher infiltration rates and thus contributes significantly towards mitigating flooding peaks. It is the objective of this contribution to provide a holistic appraisal of what organic farming is going to deliver.