Economics
Economic term for problems caused by farming such as soil erosion and nitrate leaching (i.e. environmental costs) that are typically not considered when evaluating farm profitability
What is a negative externality?
Term to describe difference between actual yields and potential yields, or in this case yields in organic compared to conventional.
What is yield gap?
Fundamental way that organic farmers have increased well being compared to conventional farmers (also 1 of 12 metrics of sustainability).
What is decreased worker exposure to pesticides?
Name for process that takes nitrogen in the air and makes it available to plants. Occurs because of symbiotic relationship between legume plants and bacteria.
What is biological nitrogen fixation?
Type of study that reviews all available papers and data on a subject and provides a quantitative synthesis of the results.
What is a meta-analysis?
Ecosystem services that were valued at a higher level in in organic compared with conventional fields based on a study in New Zealand.
What are biological pest control, soil formation, and the mineralization of plant nutrients.
Average yields in organic compared to conventional
What is 8-25% lower?
What is soil nutrient management?
What is eutrophication?
Increasing farmer access to capital and using providing farmers with incentives are examples of
What is a financial instrument to overcome barriers?
Average price premium for organic products in % above conventional products
What is 29 to 32%?
Best yielding organic crops (i.e., capable of producing yields that are relatively close to conventional production).
What are legumes?
Also accept, what is rice, soybean, corn, and grass clover
Organic food has been found to have higher levels of these compared to conventional food
What are Vitamin C, antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids
GHG that is about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide
What is nitrous oxide?
Obstacles to farmers adopting organic agriculture
What are powerful vested interests and existing policies, a lack of information and knowledge, weak infrastructure and other economic challenges, and misperceptions and cultural biases?
On average, compared to conventional, total costs in organic were found to be
What is not significantly different?
Cool season crop that tends to be one of the lowest yielding in organic production relative to conventional
What is wheat?
Sociocultural strengths of organic farming relative to conventional
What are community economic development, increased social interactions between farmers and consumers, greater employment of farm workers, OR cooperation among farmers?
The fourth metric of environmental sustainability evalauted in the paper after soil quality, mimizing energy use, and minimizing water pollution.
What is biodiversity?
Reducing commercial influence in government is an example
What is a legal instrument for overcoming barrier?
Subcategory of production costs where organic was 7 to 13% higher
What are labor costs?
Reason why organic farms have frequently been shown to produce higher yields under drought conditions
What is increased organic matter?
Organization that now stipulates that organic farmers should be able to support themselves and other workers with fair incomes, while maintaining safe and dignified working conditions
What is the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)?
Main reason why energy use is often higher in conventional corn production compared to organic corn production
What is the high energy requirement for production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer?
Other forms of agriculture that the authors argue are also needed for food and ecosystem security
What are agroforestry, integrated farming, conservation agriculture, mixed crop and livestock?