High Productivity Farms may be Greener than Organic

While organic farms are great, new research finds that farms that aim for high food production using environmentally-friendly practices could be better for the environment than both organic and conventional farms. A new study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems. They found that 'integrated' farms that maximized crop yields while using environmentally-friendly techniques  such as crop rotation, organic fertilisers, over winter cover crops, and minimal use of pesticides  would use less energy and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production than both organic and conventional farms.