Organic farms can be more energy efficient than conventional farms that mass produce crops using unsustainable practices, a surprising result from a study co-authored by a York University professor.

Researchers analyzed 130 studies to compare the energy use and global warming potential of organic versus conventional farming. They concluded that organic farms were more energy efficient on both a per-hectare and per-product basis, with the exception of fruit farming and poultry production, where data is limited.

“These findings shake up the concept that ‘bigger’ is always better. Higher crop yields, bigger equipment, less genetic diversity, and more fertilizer and pesticides do not equal a more energy-efficient operation,” says Rod MacRae (left), a professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Critics of organic farming commonly argue that lower yields make it unsustainable in the long term. “As population increases and land availability decreases, it’s assumed that an ‘assembly line’ approach to agriculture is the only way to keep up with our food needs. While this is the dominant way of thinking, this logic is also deeply flawed,” MacRae says. “For example, many regions in the global south show better yield performance with organic farming. Even in North America, organic yields are not far behind conventional ones.”

MacRae points out that there is an enormous amount of waste in conventional systems. Significant amounts of edible food are lost at harvest, during processing and distribution, at retail and in consumers’ homes. “By some accounts, up to 40 per cent of what gets farmed never makes it to our mouths, and this adds enormously to energy waste. This can result in the perception that we’re not producing enough food,” he says.

Studies of conventional and organic grain growers in the prairie region showed significant benefits for organic methods, including 50 per cent lower energy use in a 12-year study of forage and grain crop rotations. The absence of nitrogen fertilizer was a main contributor to reduced energy inputs and greater efficiency. Modelling studies of a Canada-wide conversion to organic canola, wheat, soybean and corn concluded we would consume 39 per cent less energy and generate only 77 per cent of the global warming emissions and 17 per cent of ozone-depleting emissions of conventional wheat farming.

Above: Organic cultivation of mixed vegetables

In terms of dairy farming, a study in Atlantic Canada found that an organic, seasonal grazing system was 64 per cent more energy efficient and emitted 29 per cent less greenhouse gases compared with the average of conventional systems. Cows consuming an organic diet may also have a longer lifespan, increasing efficiency and reducing methane emissions when calculated over time.

Where livestock is concerned, fewer studies exist and comparisons are more difficult because of dramatic differences in operations from farm to farm, particularly for hogs and poultry. Conventionally raised beef is widely accepted as the least environmentally friendly meat, requiring seven times as many inputs for an equivalent output of calories. Organic beef production is considered to be more efficient because the animals consume more grass and less grain than humans can consume.

The study, “The Carbon and Global Warming Potential Impacts of Organic Farming: Does It Have a Significant Role in an Energy Constrained World?” was published in the journal Sustainability. Its lead author is Professor Derek Lynch, Department of Plant & Animal Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

From the Tuesday, April 12th edition of YFile.

A sustainability project by two York students to revitalize the forest surrounding the Glendon campus has garnered second place in the fourth annual TD Go Green Challenge. The students, one from each of York University’s two campuses, combined their vision and collaborated on the project – “The Future of Our Forest: A Sustainability Vision for York University” – which included a video detailing their idea.

Right: From left, Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts, TD FEF regional manager Farzana Syed, Caitlin Langlois Greenham, Darnel Harris and FES Dean Barbara Rahder with the students' TD GO Green Challenge prize cheque

The second-place team of fourth-year Glendon history student Darnel Harris and masters of environmental studies student Caitlin Langlois Greenham, of the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at the Keele campus, received a cheque for $15,000 presented by Farzana Syed, regional manager of TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), at Glendon on March 16.

Glendon College also received a $15,000 cheque, which will go towards making some of the project’s goals a reality as it is designated for planting trees in the Glendon forest.

“The judges were very impressed with how well this team articulated the challenge they presented, as well as the creativity, practicality and innovation of their suggested solutions,” said Natasha Alleyne-Martin, TD FEF manager of national programs.

Some 132 teams from 59 Canadian post-secondary schools participated in this year’s TD FEF Go Green Challenge, a national competition, which focused on sustainability and environmental stewardship on campus. The ideas ranged from paperless universities to an integrated energy and food greenhouse.

Top honours went to a team of students from McGill University, who will be awarded $20,000 and a paid 2011 summer internship with TD FEF for each student team member, while $100,000 will go to McGill University for greening the campus. Third place went to a team from the University of Victoria, who will receive a $10,000 prize and a $10,000 grant to support on-campus tree-planting initiatives.

The York team’s video outlines the challenge facing the forest around the Glendon campus, currently in a state of degradation because of overuse. It is one of the few remaining wetlands, a home to globally rare amphibians in Toronto, and an essential part of the Don Valley corridor that connects it to habitats downstream. The team proposed a four-step solution to restore the forest’s role in ecological, educational and social vitality.

Left: Farzana Syed (left), Kenneth McRoberts and Barbara Rahder hold cheque for Glendon tree-planting project

“We are all great beneficiaries of the Glendon forest, a part of our campus landscape that is close to all our hearts. We are dedicated to preserving this magnificent campus, originally built and developed by the Wood family in the 1920s, and we are delighted to receive the funds for this project,” said Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts.

“Environmental degradation ranks as one of the greatest challenges for our society”, said Professor Barbara Rahder, dean of York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies. “Our students remind us that a more sustainable future is possible and begins at the grassroots level, with small but innovative ideas….This is just one of our areas of strength here at York….in fact, this is the second time in just four years that York students have finished at the top of this competitive contest. TD has demonstrated a deep commitment to the advancement of York University, to the sustainability of our surrounding communities and to the conservation and protection of our collective environment. “

The two winners expressed their profound thanks to TD FEF for its generous support and emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. They also paid tribute to the team’s behind-the-scenes contributors, including Alex Lisman’s videography, Micky Rodriguez’s music composition, the crew at Regenesis@York, the President’s Sustainability Council and its student subcommittee.

Right: The Regenesis@York team with the prize

“Our team is passionate about Glendon’s forest, an ecological gem containing multiple forest biomes, an endangered wetland, and a river, in the heart of the city,” said Harris, who is also co-president of Regenesis@York, a student organization dealing with sustainability projects on both of York’s campuses. “My love for the forest led me to notice its degraded state and I began to investigate what could be done to improve the situation. Finding Caitlin, someone of like passion, and working together was indeed a blessing.”

Langlois Greenham said: “As a lifelong environmental advocate, I know the transformative value of community-based stewardship projects, and having grown up not far from Glendon, I feel closely connected to the forests here, as do so many others. This project will revitalize the forest and the entire Don River Valley habitat corridor, reconnect people with natural spaces, and raise awareness about the importance of urban nature and the value of stewarding the environment around us.”

FES Professor Jennifer Foster, chair of the President’s Sustainability Council, was the faculty advisor for the project.

For more information about the winning teams and their projects, visit TD GO Green website

Submitted by Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer