Organic Crop Production – Ambitions and Limitations

Abstract

Organic agriculture is being promoted against a background of intensive discussions about production methods, food and feed quality and renewable resources, with the overall aim of long-term sustainability. Organic agriculture is a subject that triggers many different responses in people. Some are convinced that it is the way forward, while others question its benefits and the wisdom of its large-scale implementation. Even among the scientific community, different views have developed over recent decades. Organic agriculture is promoted in a number of popular and scientific books and is often described as being superior, the solution to common agricultural problems and a means of producing better food. Organic agriculture is often viewed as being environmentally sound and superior to conventional agriculture through the exclu- sion of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. As a result, any questioning of organic practices is unpopular and criticism is often interpreted as impeding the develop- ment of sustainable systems. In addition, scientifically-based information contra- dicting the claims made for organic agriculture can be difficult to communicate and can be regarded as a step backwards and against political mainstream opinion. The topic was discussed at a Symposium at the 18th World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia in 2006, where benefits and problems relating to organic crop production were presented. Some of the key findings from that symposium are presented in this book, together with other central aspects of organic crop produc- tion. The aim of this book is to provide the readers with a clear, scientifically-based overviewof a number of relevant subjects relating to organic crop production so that they can form a balanced picture of this food production approach. We are very thankful to all the contributing authors for providing their in-depth views in the various chapters.Wewould also like to acknowledge all the anonymous reviewers who helped to improve the quality of the different chapters and Dr Mary McAfee for excellent linguistic advice. Finally, we would like to thank Springer for publishing the book, which we hope will provide a better understanding of true long-term sustainability in future crop production. Uppsala,