5 ms·

organic food won't help with extinction. if we switched to organic food we would have to plow down the remaining rain forest to feed the same number of people w

organic food won't help with extinction. if we switched to organic food we would have to plow down the remaining rain forest to feed the same number of people we do now

toper-centage 7y ago
That's simply not true.
- mkl 7y ago
  Citation? While it may not be literally true (e.g. better irrigation of dry land may be just as productive?), it does seem to be in the right direction. The following article is based on a big meta-analysis of agricultural systems, and shows organic fruits and vegetables require significantly more land for the same yield: https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for-the-environment https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for...
adrianN 7y ago
Or we could reduce our meat consumption. Americans eat nearly 100kg of meat per person per year. Twice as much as the Chinese and still nearly 50% more than Europeans. Not to mention the average Indian who eats less than 4kg per year.
- jakear 7y ago
  A push towards cured meats could help with this... my meat consumption last week was a 4oz pack of prosciutto. Way more tasty than a hunk of beef, and if I continue at that rate for a year I'd consume less than 6kg overall. And it's not like I'd get sick of prosciutto, there are all sorts of cured meats with interesting and unique flavor profiles to choose from.
  - gregoryl 7y ago
    I'm not gonna go searching, but quite certain cured meats are strongly linked to high cancer risks.
    - CalRobert 7y ago
      That doesn't make the assertion wrong, though, even if a bit ghoulish.
      - gregoryl 7y ago
        Hah! Excellent point.
    - ceejayoz 7y ago
      Some cured meats. Stuff that's smoked and preserved with nitrites is problematic. Prosciutto (purely pork, salt, and time) is probably safe.
organsnyder 7y ago
I'd like to see a citation for that. That may be true if we don't use any GMO crops, but GMO doesn't necessarily have to be incompatible with organic practices for fertilizer, pesticides, etc. IANAF, but my understanding is that organic practices are often more labor intensive rather than more land intensive.
- Ensorceled 7y ago
  Reduced yields per acre due to not using fertilizer, pesticides etc. are the main reason for the increased land usage for the same amount of food produced. Whether it could be balanced out by a huge reduction in growing corn for HFS, feed and ethanol is a whole 'nother topic.
  - organsnyder 7y ago
    Organic farming doesn't mean not using any fertilizer or pesticides—it just means using certain types that are considered safer. For instance, natural fertilizers (such as compost) are used instead of petroleum-based products. Same for pesticides and herbicides.
francisofascii 7y ago
Or we could stop turning farms into sprawling housing developments.

organic food won't help with extinction. if we switched to organic food we would have to plow down the remaining rain forest to feed the same number of people we do now

toper-centage 7y ago

That's simply not true.

mkl 7y ago
Citation? While it may not be literally true (e.g. better irrigation of dry land may be just as productive?), it does seem to be in the right direction. The following article is based on a big meta-analysis of agricultural systems, and shows organic fruits and vegetables require significantly more land for the same yield: https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for-the-environment https://ourworldindata.org/is-organic-agriculture-better-for...

adrianN 7y ago

Or we could reduce our meat consumption. Americans eat nearly 100kg of meat per person per year. Twice as much as the Chinese and still nearly 50% more than Europeans. Not to mention the average Indian who eats less than 4kg per year.

jakear 7y ago
A push towards cured meats could help with this... my meat consumption last week was a 4oz pack of prosciutto. Way more tasty than a hunk of beef, and if I continue at that rate for a year I'd consume less than 6kg overall. And it's not like I'd get sick of prosciutto, there are all sorts of cured meats with interesting and unique flavor profiles to choose from.
- gregoryl 7y ago
  I'm not gonna go searching, but quite certain cured meats are strongly linked to high cancer risks.
  - CalRobert 7y ago
    That doesn't make the assertion wrong, though, even if a bit ghoulish.
    - gregoryl 7y ago
      Hah! Excellent point.
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    Some cured meats. Stuff that's smoked and preserved with nitrites is problematic. Prosciutto (purely pork, salt, and time) is probably safe.

organsnyder 7y ago

I'd like to see a citation for that. That may be true if we don't use any GMO crops, but GMO doesn't necessarily have to be incompatible with organic practices for fertilizer, pesticides, etc. IANAF, but my understanding is that organic practices are often more labor intensive rather than more land intensive.

Ensorceled 7y ago
Reduced yields per acre due to not using fertilizer, pesticides etc. are the main reason for the increased land usage for the same amount of food produced. Whether it could be balanced out by a huge reduction in growing corn for HFS, feed and ethanol is a whole 'nother topic.
- organsnyder 7y ago
  Organic farming doesn't mean not using any fertilizer or pesticides—it just means using certain types that are considered safer. For instance, natural fertilizers (such as compost) are used instead of petroleum-based products. Same for pesticides and herbicides.

francisofascii 7y ago

Or we could stop turning farms into sprawling housing developments.