Organic is better

This article was originally published in April 2016

A systematic review of more than 100 studies comparing organic and conventional farming finds that organic crop yields are higher than previously thought. University of California, Berkeley researchers said, “With global food needs predicted to greatly increase in the next 50 years, it’s critical to look more closely at organic farming because, aside from the environmental impacts of industrial agriculture, the ability of synthetic fertilizers to increase crop yields has been declining.” They also pointed out that available studies comparing farming methods often were biased in favor of conventional agriculture, so estimates of the yield gap are overestimated. Researchers found no significant differences in organic and conventional yields for crops such as beans, peas and lentils.

Also in this issue

PCC Board of Trustees report, April 2016

Proposed PCC bylaws: key revisions, Bylaws questions or comments?, A former board member's thoughts on the bylaws proposal, and more

Buy honey, save the bee

PCC honey vendor GloryBee donates a portion of proceeds to research about causes and solutions to Colony Collapse Disorder.

Letters to the editor, April 2016

Avoiding carbs?, Sprouting grains and beans, Liquid smoke, and more