Comments on: Is organic food better for the climate? http://www.carboncommentary.com/2007/09/15/7 A critical appraisal of issues in the move to a low-carbon economy Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:15:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Gairn McLennan http://www.carboncommentary.com/2007/09/15/7#comment-214 Gairn McLennan Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:28:51 +0000 http://www.carboncommentary.com/2007/09/15/7#comment-214 Organic farming IS conventional. Chemicals were only added to farming of late. Growing 100 tonnes anually of avocados in new zealand myself, three years ago i switched to more sustainable organic product inputs. Previously I have used manufactured fertilizers and spray applied by helicopter. I found it produced inferior results at a greater cost than fertilzers derived from renewable marine resources. I don't need to use a helicopter now because i no longer spray. Sprays and chemical fertilizers were keeping the worm population very low. It's widley known how valuable they are in soil, yet they are rarely mentioned in agricultural circles. I saw a 500% increase in worms in 12 months from digging a 200mm square area as a direct result of my fertilizer input on my property. Not all organic fertilizers are created equal. One clever person has found a way to inoculate his commercially available organic fertilizer with soil microbes, soil algae and fungi of which there are thousands of different types in a healthy soil. www.agrissentials.com the biodiversity and the carbon sequestering benefits of such a product are, I'm sure, very great. Organic farming IS conventional. Chemicals were only added to farming of late.
Growing 100 tonnes anually of avocados in new zealand myself, three years ago i switched to more sustainable organic product inputs.
Previously I have used manufactured fertilizers and spray applied by helicopter. I found it produced inferior results at a greater cost than fertilzers derived from renewable marine resources. I don’t need to use a helicopter now because i no longer spray. Sprays and chemical fertilizers were keeping the worm population very low. It’s widley known how valuable they are in soil, yet they are rarely mentioned in agricultural circles. I saw a 500% increase in worms in 12 months from digging a 200mm square area as a direct result of my fertilizer input on my property.
Not all organic fertilizers are created equal. One clever person has found a way to inoculate his commercially available organic fertilizer with soil microbes, soil algae and fungi of which there are thousands of different types in a healthy soil. http://www.agrissentials.com the biodiversity and the carbon sequestering benefits of such a product are, I’m sure, very great.

]]> By: Martin http://www.carboncommentary.com/2007/09/15/7#comment-2 Martin Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:11:52 +0000 http://www.carboncommentary.com/2007/09/15/7#comment-2 It's worth remembering that when talking about 'manures' for organic growing, it can equally be 'green' manures. There is a misconception amongst many growers (whether organic or not) that soil fertility can only be maintained through the use of animal manures. Much research has been done over recent years, and there are now a number of 'stockfree' organic farms in the UK (and across the world) that don't rely on animal manures and hence, taking the points in this blog post, are even better for the environment that standard organic ones. VON (Vegan Organic Network) has worked with the Soil Association to create a stock-free organic standard in the UK. http://www.veganorganic.net/ Thanks for a good article - Martin It’s worth remembering that when talking about ‘manures’ for organic growing, it can equally be ‘green’ manures. There is a misconception amongst many growers (whether organic or not) that soil fertility can only be maintained through the use of animal manures.

Much research has been done over recent years, and there are now a number of ’stockfree’ organic farms in the UK (and across the world) that don’t rely on animal manures and hence, taking the points in this blog post, are even better for the environment that standard organic ones.

VON (Vegan Organic Network) has worked with the Soil Association to create a stock-free organic standard in the UK. http://www.veganorganic.net/

Thanks for a good article - Martin

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