b'GIANT VIEWSBY: GIOVANNI CAGNANOIS ORGANIC FARMING REALLY BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL FARMING?These conflicting results might proveand conventional farming?difficult to understand. A meta-anal- Scientific evidence shows that for our ysis on nutrition by the World Healthhealth it is crucial to consume enough Organization (WHO) states how crucialvegetables, but it makes no difference it is to make sure we consume enoughif they are organic or not. Moreover, the vegetables, regardless of how they aredistinction of between synthetic and nat-produced. The slight increment in per- ural-based pesticides it is entirely arbi-centage of antioxidants or vitaminstrary, without a scientific basis.becomes irrelevant when compared toThe distinction of food in two recommended total amount per day. brands, organic and conventional, makes absolutely no sense. It responds PESTICIDES to a marketing logic that creates an elite In organic farming (most of) syntheticproduct quite distinct from a mass prod-Giovanni Cagnano pesticides cannot be used. Contrary touct. Most countries are not self-sufficient common belief, this does not mean thatfor most of the agricultural products, and organic farmers do not use pesticides,converting an entire nation to organic DOES ORGANIC FOODbut that there is a precise list of activefarming, would make it highly dependent REDUCE OUR ENVIRONMENTALcompounds that are allowed. Consumerson foreign countries.FOOTPRINT? should know that organic does not meanAnd when a large part of the organic Organic food is not simply an alternativepesticide-free. food we consume comes from thousands to conventional food but, for many con- Several studies have reported thatof kilometers away, its already high level sumers, it carries the weight of a moralorganic food contains less residues ofof carbon footprint, would increase even and social responsibility towards thepesticides than conventional food, but themore.planet. Organic products are considereddoses found on conventional food wereOrganic farming has given voice to more natural, ethical and sustainable,anyway much lower than the maximumthe desire of many consumers and farm-although more expensive. allowed limits.ers for a more environmental-friendly On the other hand, it is often pointedAt present, the big risk for healthagriculture and less pesticide use. A path out that organic farming has many con- does not come from pesticides residues,that, in recent years, thanks to EU direc-tradictions as it is a first world luxurybut from the contamination of food withtives, has already been taken through a that, if extended to everyone, is not envi- bacteria and fungi, and this risk is theban of several pesticide, considered dan-ronmentally friendly at all. same whether we eat organic or not. gerous for the environment.The topic is complex and there isWouldnt it make more sense to the need to underline what is marketingENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT keep encouraging the use of integrated and what is science in order to create realSeveral studies investigated whetherpest management, agronomic practices awareness on the subject and correctlyorganic food reduces our environmentaland products with a low environmental inform consumers about the food theyfootprint but none could state with cer- impact, creating a single form of respon-buy and eat. tainty that one method is better than thesible agriculture that combines the other. strengths of the two?ANTIOXIDANTS AND VITAMINS The yield drop in organic farming is Although organic food is commonly con- probably its biggest limit. BONUS TIPsidered healthier and more nutritious, theThe Indian state of Sikkim, con- There is a simple formula to reduce our subject is quite controversial. A meta-anal- verted to 100% organic farming. Fromenvironmental impact when buying food: ysis, analyzing 343 scientific articles, con- data provided by its Department offorget organic or conventional products cluded that products derived from organicAgriculture, 2015-16 rice, wheat, andand choose seasonal fruit, produced as farming often have a higher concentrationgrain legume production was down ofclose to where they are sold as possible. of antioxidants. This can be explained by56% from 1995-96. The rest is just marketing. the fact that plants, in organic farming,Wageningen University made an produce more secondary metabolites inextensive bibliographic analysis of 362Editors Note: Giovanni Cagnano response to the higher pest pressure com- yield reports referring to 24 crops, andis founder and editor at Missione pared to conventional farming.showed that organic produces on averageScienza, and Italian group of enthu-Some studies found that organic food20%-24% less than conventional. siasts who believe that science should has more vitamin C and omega 3, othersbe accessible to everyone. https://www.found that there are no significant differ- WRAPPING UP missionescienza.it/ ences. Does it make sense to separate organic 72IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'