Is organic farming more productive than conventional farming?
Not necessarily, organic farms in the US report their yields to be 5% less than conventional farms. Adding 2 t compost per ha on 115 farms in Western Kenya during 2002 increased maize and bean yields by 31%, but this was still 14% less than when recommended rates of mineral fertilizers were applied. For each 2.3 kg of compost added to the soil, an extra 1 kg of food was produced!
