How can organic agriculture contribute to long-term climate goals?

Summary

The EU countries aim to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 80-95% by 2050 (European Commission, 2011). The food sector accounts today for 25% of Swedish greenhouse gas emissions, most of which arise in agricultural production, so there is a need for radical reduction of GHG emissions in this sector. For organic farming in Sweden, this implies that it is time to move beyond the discussion on whether organic products have a lower or higher life-cycle climate impact than conventional products (Cederberg et al 2011). Instead, the interesting question is: What can and should be done to drastically reduce the climate impact of organic agriculture? The science-based response to that question is relevant for Swedish agriculture as a whole.
Development towards lower climate impact from organic agriculture requires further monitoring and technology development to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide. But it also involves developing production systems that are more efficient in the use of nutrients, energy and land, as well as shifting focus from producing animal food towards more legume, grain, vegetable and fruit products.