How does organic farming help to preserve biodiversity?

The importance of biodiversity Regenerative organic agriculture, on the other hand, promotes biodiversity. A rich mix of microorganisms, plants and animals on the farm creates healthy soil, strong crops and resilient natural systems that do not require chemical intervention to control pests and diseases. Promoting biodiversity, protecting sensitive habitats and working within natural systems are key principles of organic food production.

Organic farming

aims to minimize alterations to the natural environment, producing food in a way that works with nature, not against it.

Conservation-oriented thinking and better environmental education should be encouraged among farmers, among those who are already participating in an agro-environmental plan and, even more so, among newcomers. Their wealth increased significantly over time from the time of their conversion to organic agriculture. It was found that organic farmers tended to have a more complex and philosophical approach to biodiversity, with few differences between these farmers; conventional farmers, on the other hand, showed more differences between them.

Organic agriculture

refers to an agricultural system that improves soil fertility by maximizing the efficient use of local resources, while dispensing with the use of agrochemicals, genetically modified organisms and the numerous synthetic compounds that are used as food additives.

This means using materials approved for use in organic production and maintaining or improving the natural resources of your operation, including soil and water quality. The variety of species includes native plants, birds, insects, and organisms essential to soil fertility. The World Trade Organization reports a 75% loss of crop variety over the last 100 years, including 90% in the EU. The results of the meta-analysis of studies that compare the environmental impacts of organic and conventional agriculture in Europe show that organic agriculture practices generally have a positive impact on the environment per unit of area, but not necessarily per unit of product.

The richness of plant and butterfly species was 20% higher in organic farms and the abundance of butterflies was approximately 60% higher compared to conventional farms. Significant differences between the two agricultural systems include soil organic matter content, nitrogen leaching, nitrous oxide emissions per unit of field area, energy use, and land use. Birds were studied in the fields and in the adjacent hedges of conventional and organic winter wheat fields and meadows. Agri-environmental payments are part of the Common Agricultural Policy, which promotes the multifunctional role of agriculture as a supplier of food products and administrator of diverse landscapes, as well as the cultural and natural heritage of rural areas.

These farms generally have smaller plots of land and, therefore, more field edges, which are relatively rich in species. While there were disparities between real attitudes and behaviors in relation to the environment, among organic farmers who shared attitudes similar to those of conventional farmers, they were better prepared to be informed and to carry out environmentally friendly agriculture. In recent decades, agriculture has been oriented towards industrial and extremely intensive agricultural practices, with the objective of guaranteeing sufficient food for the human population, an objective that was not achieved. The cumulative number of species observed grouped in the fields was higher in the organic production of white cabbage and red beet, with 29 and 28 species, respectively.

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