Is growing organic food actually harming the Earth more than helping it?
“Good initiative, bad judgement.” This is a phrase that’s used to describe an action by someone that’s intended to do good, but actually ends up causing harm. Could this apply to our infatuation with “going organic”?
Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden recently found that “organically farmed peas in Sweden have a 50% bigger impact on the environment than food farmed non-organically.” So why was organically growing peas worse for the environment? Because according to the study, when fertilizers aren’t used, “the [crop] yields per hectare are much lower.” Since the yields are lower per hectare, more farming land is required, resulting in a negative impact on our environment in carbon dioxide emissions.
Organic Swedish peas weren’t even the crop that showed the largest impact. Stefan Wirsenius of Chalmers revealed that “with organic Swedish winter wheat the difference is closer to 70 percent.” And the concerns didn’t stop there as organic meat and dairy also fared worse than their non-organic counterparts environmentally speaking.
On the surface, living the organic lifestyle does seem to be better for humans and the environment. However, this study by researchers in Sweden is another example that just because we have good intentions doesn’t mean we’re not actually causing harm. Let’s hope as the organic industry continues to grow (sorry, not sorry), experts can help to lower the negative impact on our environment.
To read the article over at Yahoo Finance, click here: https://yhoo.it/2rXp3rT