Assessing the Multiple Environmental and Economic Impacts of Organic Agriculture in the U.S.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation has commissioned a comprehensive review of U.S., Canadian, and European scientific literature on the environmental and social impacts of organic agriculture, including economic impacts on farms and society as a whole. In place of the simplistic notion that agriculture only produces the world’s food and fiber – with the corollary that the more produced, the better – documenting organic agriculture’s multiple benefits can make visible the external environmental and economic costs and services of modern agriculture. Conducting a multiple benefits analysis will account for these externalized costs, which are typically not reflected in the price of “cheap” food, as well as acknowledge the ecological services provided by well-managed agricultural systems. Environmental and social benefits of organic agriculture can include significant levels of carbon sequestration, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved soil and water quality, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, greater farm profitability, and more rural employment opportunities. Analysis of these services, or the lack of them, will also include a quantification of the economic impacts on farms and society as a whole, to the extent possible given the current state of research. Carolyn Dimitri, a lead researcher on the project, will offer an overview of the project.