New research reveals the hidden downsides of organic farming

Organic farming is often promoted as a more sustainable solution to food production, taking advantage of natural forms of pest control to promote environmentally friendly farming.

Farmers harvest grapes in Alsace, France. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN).

However, a new study published in the journal Science on March 21 shows that the expansion of organic farmland could lead to greater pesticide use on surrounding conventional fields, causing reduce some environmental benefits.

Researchers found that these harmful "spillover effects" could be minimized if organic farms were clustered together and geographically separated from conventional farms. .

Scientist Ashley Larsen at the University of California (USA), lead author of the study, said that despite policies promoting organic agriculture, there are still key knowledge gaps about the impact of organic farming on with the environment.

To find out, Ms. Larsen and her colleagues analyzed data on about 14,000 fields in Kern County, California (USA) over 7 years. It is one of the most important agricultural regions in the United States, producing high-value crops including grapes, watermelons, citrus, tomatoes, potatoes and many others.

The team paired digitized maps of fields and crops with records of pesticide use.

The results showed that organic farming led to an increase in pesticide use on conventional fields , but also led to a significant decrease in its use on nearby organic fields. The level of pesticide use on conventional fields decreases the further away they are from organic fields.

However, researchers found that this situation could be completely overcome if organic fields were clustered together.

The team concluded that clustering organic fields and separating them from conventional fields spatially can minimize the environmental impacts of organic and conventional farmland.

In a commentary, researcher Erik Lichtenberg from the University of Maryland said the authors showed that farmers' decisions to use pesticides are influenced by the presence of nearby organic fields. , but the real reason is not entirely clear.

According to him, the value of the crops, the crop's susceptibility to pests and the farmer's personal risk tolerance can be important influencing factors.

Mr. Lichtenberg believes that more research in this area is needed to clarify the origin, appearance and activities of related worms and insects.