Linking Soil Quality to Human Nutrition: The Organic Farming Connection.

There is growing interest in establishing a link between soil management and food quality. Organic farming advocates claim that food produced under certified organic standards is safer and healthier than food produced using conventional farming methods. Research comparing food quality produced using organic and conventional    farming methods is mixed. Some research indicates that food produced using organic methods has nutritional quality advantages. However, other research suggests no clear advantage in food quality when grown using organic farming methods. We will describe how divergence in management practices within organic farming and conventional farming approaches confounds food quality comparisons between the two methods. Strategies will be suggested which could overcome some of the problems encountered in past comparisons between organic farming and conventional farming in future comparisons.