Global organic farming study launched in Denmark

Denmark's Aarhus University has embarked on an extensive research project to determine whether organic farming is sustainable in developing countries and in a world that is increasingly urbanized. The overall aim of the project is to clarify to what extent and under which conditions organic farming can reduce local and global negative environmental effects and concurrently improve the standard of living for small farmers.

The leader of the project is John Hermansen from the Department of Agroecology and Environment at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. The project is being carried out in collaboration with University of Copenhagen and the Danish Institute for International Studies.

Organic farming has positive environmental and health effects, but it is more expensive than industrial farming and may not be applicable in all societies. The study aims to clarify many of these issues, such as land use, financing and production quantities. In recent years Egypt, Brazil and China have witnessed considerable urban growth, and with it has come an explosion of need for locally produced organic products.

This has favoured large volume and chain operations to the detriment of individual farmers who have limited resources and produce fewer products. Brazil gives wide support to organic farming, including support for research and development, while China has focused more on ways to quickly feed the earth's largest national population and export grains and other products. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.