Hope Not Hype - Third World Network

Biotechnologies for Sustainable Cultures
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Our calculations probably underestimate actual output on many organic farms. Yield ratios
were reported for individual crops, but many organic farmers use polycultures and multiple
cropping systems, from which the total production per unit area is often substantially higher
than for single crops. Also, there is scope for increased production on organic farms, since
most agricultural research of the past 50 years has focused on conventional methods. Arguably,
comparable efforts focused on organic practices would lead to further improvements in yields
as well as in soil fertility and pest management (Badgley et al., 2007, p. 94).
What is even more remarkable and worthy of highlighting is that organic/
agroecological methods are already outpacing conventional/industrial agriculture in the
very places that are most in need of a new path to food security, for example, Africa (Box
7.1). The UNEP/UNCTAD-commissioned study (UNEP/UNCTAD, 2008) presents a stark
contrast to the claims of critics that the Assessment just got it wrong. Robert Wager,
writing on the industry-friendly blog site AgBioView, asserts that “[m]ost of the 6000
year history of agriculture is by definition organic. This type of poor yield agriculture is
exactly why we have significant problems with hunger, malnutrition, soil degradation and
poverty in much of the developing world” (Wager, 2008). Wager dismisses the poor and
subsistence farmer while arguing for more biotechnology, equating that word with modern
biotechnology, the type that is captured by the intellectual property instruments available
to the mega-agrochemical companies. Wager makes two mistakes. First, he fails to
acknowledge the great advances of organic/agroecological agriculture even though it has
not benefited from the long history of research funding that underpins modern
biotechnology (Rivera-Ferre, 2008), and does not benefit equally from integration on the
local level via the same network of extension services. The former is already producing
more than the latter and, with a change in research funding emphasis, organic/agroecological
agriculture shows even greater promise. Second, he lumps traditional farming practices
over the previous 6,000 years with the sophisticated and modern applications of sound
agroecological approaches developed in the last 100 years (see Figure 1 of UNEP/
UNCTAD, 2008), creating the misleading impression that there is no difference.
Organic farming can lead to increased food production – in many cases a doubling of yields
has been seen – which makes an important contribution to increasing the food security in a
region. The [case] studies outlined in this report support the growing body of evidence that
yield increases are possible and indeed likely, with a switch to organic farming in a variety
of different contexts, particularly in marginalized areas or where traditional farming methods
are used. Food availability increased in 11 out of 13 cases centred on food production examined
in this study (UNEP/UNCTAD, 2008, p. 11).
In addition, as discussed in Chapter Five, there is no convincing evidence that the
major transgenic crops have been superior to conventional crops for raising yields or
achieving other sustainability goals (Box 7.2) such as poverty and hunger reduction with
less impact on the environment. In contrast, there is evidence that conventional breeding
is a successful strategy for introducing complex traits into plants –