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Soil Health and Climate Change pp 317–343Cite as

Organic Farming: Pros and Cons for Soil Health and Climate Change

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Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 29))

Abstract

The rapid expansion of organic farming systems means that it is timely to consider their responses to climate change. The overall value of ecosystem services delivered is higher and the energy use of organic farms is lower than conventional comparators, whether assessed per unit area or per tonne of product. Increases in the amount of carbon stored under organic management are widely reported; these changes underpin increases in the biological and physical quality of soil. Direct impacts of climate change on crop choice and rotation design will be largely indistinguishable for organic and conventional systems. Nevertheless, organic systems in marginal rainfall areas may be more resilient, due to improvements in drought resistance. Organic farmers are inherently well placed to adapt to climate change: maintenance of soil health and application of adaptive management are key steps for successful adaptation of all farming systems in the light of climate change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Agriculture Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK

    Elizabeth Stockdale

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  1. Elizabeth Stockdale
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Stockdale .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Science Centre, Oratava Avenue 121-131, West Pennant Hills, 2125, New South Wales, Australia

    Bhupinder Pal Singh

  2. Forest Resources Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Beecroft, New South Wales, Australia

    Annette L. Cowie

  3. Hawkesbury District Office, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia

    K. Yin Chan

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Stockdale, E. (2011). Organic Farming: Pros and Cons for Soil Health and Climate Change. In: Singh, B., Cowie, A., Chan, K. (eds) Soil Health and Climate Change. Soil Biology, vol 29. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20256-8_14

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