[Agri Alert-128]Can Organic Farming Reduce Global Warming?

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Agri-Alert 128 01.08.07

Let us grow foOd, not money

Let us work towards a Green Orissa.

CAN ORGANIC FARMING REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING?

Global warming has become a hot topic that is being discussed with fervor

among all echelons of society. All are feeling the heat, literally.

On the one hand there is a growing awareness that human activity is

contributing significantly to the process. Others are of the opinion that this

is a part of a natural cycle that has presented itself many a times in the past.

There is also a group that frowns upon the publicity being granted to the

process and claims it is being done to earn the various incentives of carbon

trading that feature in the Kyoto Protocol.

Whatever may be the reason it cannot be denied that the production of

greenhouse gases; carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, ozone,

CFCs, HFCs, PFCs and sulphur hexafluoride have increased at a galloping pace due

to unsustainable development. Some of these gases are not natural and can be

attributed purely to the industrialisation process.

What is global warming?

The greenhouse gases have the ability to capture and store heat in the

atmosphere leading to an increase in surface temperature in what is known as the

greenhouse effect. It is estimated that the increase in temperature maybe from 2

to 6 degrees Celsius within the next few decades. This would lead to the melting

of the polar ice caps, rise in oceans and changes in climate patterns affecting

all activity on earth.

While carbon dioxide (CO2) is a widely recognised villain, the role of methane

and nitrous oxide far exceed that of this gas. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) absorbs 270

times and methane (CH4) 21 times more heat per molecule of CO2.

From where do these gases come from? CO2 is released into the atmosphere by

the burning of solid waste, wood and wood products, and fossil fuels. N2O

emissions occur during various agriculture and industrial processes and when

solid waste and fuel are burnt.

Methane is emitted when organic waste decomposes, whether in landfills or in

connection with livestock farming. It is also released by paddy cultivation

which requires standing water in the fields. Rain fed rice cultivation releases

far less methane. China, India and other rice producing countries in Asia are

blamed for generating up to 15 times more methane than the Western countries.

How does modern agriculture contribute to global warming?

Modern agriculture with its unsustainable practices, the use of chemical

fertilisers and pesticides, the burning of fossil fuels for its various inputs

and processes, mono cropping, deep ploughing, use of farm machinery, pumping

irrigation contributes significantly to global warming.

As per a study, modern agriculture is responsible for 25% of the worlds CO2

emissions, 60% of CH4 and 80% of N2O. The last is primarily due to the use of

urea as a fertiliser.

Modern agriculture is energy intensive. Farm machinery, pumped irrigation and

transport necessitates the burning of a lot of fossil fuels which significantly

adds to the build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The regular use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides destroy the natural

ability of the soil to absorb both carbon and nitrogen. Worldwide around 70

million tonnes a year of nitrogen are now applied to crops. The denitrifying

soil bacteria act on this to release half a million tonnes a year of nitrous

oxide.

The cattle are today fed with non natural high protein food to fatten them and

to increase the yield of milk. This non natural food leads to excessive enteric

fermentation leading to a very high emission of methane. Cattle also denude

grasslands thus reducing the green cover than helps absorb CO2.

Agriculture in itself, by claiming land from natural forests and grasslands,

and converting it to modern agricultural practices contributes to deforestation

which has a negative impact on the local climate.

How does organic farming check global warming?

This is achieved by;

1. Improving the condition of the soil which results in more carbon

retention and capture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the atmosphere. This

is achieved by handling organic matter, which is primarily carbon, and which

leads to carbon sequestration.

2. Eliminating the need for energy-costly chemical fertilisers,

especially nitrogen present in urea, which requires massive amounts of energy to

synthesize.

3. Reducing the need for energy guzzling farm machinery. By restoring

the ground water level organic farming also reduces the need for pump

irrigation.

4. Organic methods entail less or no tilling which increases the

accumulation of organic carbon in the soil.

5. Procedures like the SRI method of rice cultivation require no

standing water in the fields reducing methane emissions.

6. A multiple crop approach that provides cover crop and the

incorporation of crop residues dramatically alters the carbon storage of arable

lands.

7. Under organic farming soil with organic manure preserves moisture

better than soil receiving chemical fertilisers. Water in the soil acts as a

sink to absorb greenhouse gases. The CO2 dissolved in water is taken up by the

plants and micro organisms.

8. Organic farming is even better than afforestation as plantation trees

take up a lot of water and nutrition for their needs. They also render soil

acidic and saline.

9. Organic farming absorbs heat as it helps produce a top layer of soil

humus. Whereas chemical fertiliser treated soil releases a tremendous amount of

heat hardening the soil. The hardened soil reflects the sun's heat making the

air noticeably warmer not to mention the release of heat through hydration.

A study by The Rodale Institute, USA, titled FST, which compared data from

modern and organic farming for 23 years confirmed that organic methods of

agriculture are far more effective at removing CO2 from atmosphere and also in

checking the emissions of nitrous oxide and methane. It comes to the conclusion

that organic farming could reduce the atmosphere CO2 by 1.1 trillion pounds per

year.

" Organic farming for carbon capture is also compatible with other

environmental and social goals other environmental and social goals such as

reducing erosion, minimising adverse effects on native ecosystem, and improving

farmers livelihoods. Compared to forests...agricultural soils may be a more

secure sink for atmospheric carbon since they are not vulnerable to logging or

wildfire. "

" (Organic farming) is a step towards solving global warming that brings with

it a wealth of other environmental benefits. "

Conclusion: The Orissa Scenario.

Global warming has left a definite impact on the State of Orissa. The summers

are unbearably hot with the mercury rising to 52 degree Celsius in industrial

towns. The weather pattern has been severely affected. Cyclones and

thunderstorms have wreaked havoc. The sea levels are rising alarmingly

threatening coastal towns.

Unfortunately the majority of the cultivable land here is under conventional

agriculture. The link between this form of cultivation and global warming is

known to only a handful of scientists and activists, let alone the farmers. We

need to create awareness on this vital aspect and try to promote organic methods

of cultivation.

We hope this small article will boost the morale of those involved in and

propagating various methods of organic cultivation. Organic farming is not

merely a set of rules to be followed in the field but is a holistic mindset that

promotes values that benefit all aspects of life and society. It is a change in

attitude that is important to check the complex phenomenon of global warming.

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Living Farms , Regional Resource Centre of DRCSC

Plot No.1181 / 2146, Ratnakarbag-2,

Tankapani Road,

Bhubaneswar - 751018,

Orissa.

Ph-->0674-2430176

Mob -->9938582616

www.drcsc.org

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