Organic agriculture can feed the world according to FAO

15.08.2007 |Sascha Gabizon

In a paper presented at the International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security held in Rome on 3-5 May 2007, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded that organic agriculture can contribute to food security worldwide but its potential to do so depend greatly on political will.

The paper "Organic Agriculture and Food Security" suggests that organic agriculture has the potential to secure a global food supply, just as conventional agriculture is today, but with reduced environmental impact. New challenges such as climate change can also be mitigated by organic agriculture through such measures as enhanced soil carbon sequestration. Organic agriculture also offers practical climate adaptation options.

The paper calls on governments to “allocate resources for organic agriculture and to integrate its objectives and actions within their national agricultural development and poverty reduction strategies, with
particular emphasis on the needs of vulnerable groups.”

The report, conference proceedings and press release can be found on the FAO website.