David Biello, reporting for Scientific American:
“We found that, overall, organic yields are considerably lower than conventional yields,” explains McGill’s Verena Seufert, lead author of the study to be published in Nature on April 26. “But, this yield difference varies across different conditions. When farmers apply best management practices, organic systems, for example, perform relatively better.”
I’ve often wondered if organic farming would be up to the task. The good news is it appears to be, but with a big caveat: You have to know how to do it properly. Lack of knowledge about conventional farming practices is already a huge problem in many developing countries, resulting in high soil erosion and low yields. Organic practices are a level or two above that.