The Wall Street Journal: Badgley says organic agriculture can feed the world
An organic farm in Chiapas, Mexico. Image credit: Michigan News - International.
The Wall Street Journal Business section included an article by Professor Catherine Badgley on why organic agriculture is our best hope.
The article presents two sides of the question, “Can organic food feed the world?” with a consultant from the agricultural industry who writes about food and farming, Steve Savage, on the other side.
Badgley’s article begins: “The global food system is at the root of many environmental and health crises. Synthetic fertilizers cause dead zones in our oceans. Fossil fuels hasten global warming while enabling harvests of wasteful and unhealthy foods. Mechanized, industrial farms decimate rural employment and lead to misuse of vital resources on a massive scale.
"Organic farming can reduce these problems, grow enough food for the world and provide robust economic returns. There are already millions of small and midsize organic farms world-wide. Sales of organic food and beverages grew fivefold between 1999 and 2013, according to the Swiss-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL.”
Each month, the WSJ, which is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S., takes on "big issues" in its Journal Report section on Leadership with opposing viewpoints. July's big issue is food.
