Photo Credit: Liam Gumley, Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

New research by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) shows that organic agriculture can help mitigate climate change. The study examined 19 studies from around the world to determine levels of greenhouse gasses emitted by organic versus conventional farms. They found that, on average, organically managed soils release 492 kg less carbon dioxide per hectare per year than conventionally managed soils. They also found that uptake of methane on organic farms was higher than on conventional farms. Agriculture is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, so increased conversion from conventional to organic practices could mitigate the future threat of climate change.