Agriculture without using pest-/herbicides and fertilizers (organic) is said to be more labour intensive. So if we would feed the world with purely organic, we likely needed a bigger share of the population involved in cultivation; assuming you consider the world to be fed organic as possible. Is there any study investigating this effect?
I don't think there are any figures for that, but in India, until the "Green Revolution" which ushered in the age of mechanized, chemical based agriculture, 80% of the population was then acknowledged to be involved in agriculture. That may be called non-mechanized organic agriculture.
Today, 5% of the US population is involved in agriculture. So mechanization and chemical inputs freed about 75% of a population. The problem is that mechanization (dependence on fossil fuels) and chemicals (several oil derived) arrived almost simultaneously in different parts of the world, so it is difficult to generate estimates for the percentage of population required for mechanized organic farming.
Further, the production of vast amounts of organic fertilizers required for the grain belts would require a large amount of land; ditto for plant based pesticides like neem. So the land required for the production of one hectare of grain would probably be double, taking into consideration the area needed for cultivating material for organic fertilizers and pesticides.
One might find some useful figures in "Smallholders, Householders: Farm Families and the Ecology of Intensive, Sustainable Agriculture" by Robert McC. Netting.
http://books.google.de/books?id=lVIWJ7YV5y8C&hl
Thanks for the answer. I talked to a variety of experts and they confirmed Peters conclusion. There aren't any figures on that subject, as it is too complex. Additionally, it seems to be a question of system boundaries: Production of organic fertilizer/pesticides/feedstock could be in other parts of the world, where mechanization is different.
However, there are investigations on yield gap and economic viability, which both are connected to labour intensity...
Firstly I endorsed answer of Daniel.
The answer of this question can be given by getting answers of the so may questions have arisen due to chemical farming some of them are ,how long chemical inputs will be available even after exhaust of petroleum, natural phosphates, potash etc?, How long fauna and flora diversity will exist that is essential for production e.g pollinators, with the use of chemicals ? Contribution of N fertilisers in global warming?, Does the chemical farming is successful in the rainfed/drylands, the 60 % part of globe and does the so called food security provided by the chemical farming in this part of the world? More production means more availability to all to some rich people and how much of this higher production goes waste ? Does centralised production of inputs ( fertilisers, pesticides,seeds) increases employment in rural areas specially in the developing countries where more then 50% population lived in rural areas? , and the cost of production remains economical after 10-15 years of chemical farming ? If the answer of all these question is negative then there is no option to adopt nature friendly system/organic farming that has been following since centuries and no body was starved due to food production level, rather it was bad distribution or natural calamities e.g. flood or drought.
100 % is ideal
but the shift should be gradual
20-80%
40-60%
60-40%
20-80%
0-100%
A tough task for rural development people to handle the mind set of people with chemical fertlizers
Dear Beni,
Depending on the study you read, you will find that some researchers say that organic farming requires more land and is less productive. However, other studies (these ones use to be long-term studies) tend to show that productivity is similar, and that other outputs (socials and environmental services) are provided in addition (advatange above conventional farming.
Please check my book chapter attached. This slightly comment on this topic.
Regards,
Alfredo J. Escribano.
Chapter Organic Livestock Farming: Challenges, Perspectives, And Str...
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