"Organic products can feed the world"

"Organic products can feed the world"

To produce the same amount of food, organic agriculture needs around 40 percent more space than conventional agriculture. In order to be able to feed the growing world population completely organically, up to 80 percent more space would be needed in the future. Huge forest areas would also have to be cleared in order to have enough arable land available.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

In brief:

  • In order for the world to be able to be fed exclusively on organically produced food, it would take dramatically more cultivation areas.
  • The additional area would be at the expense of moors, forests and nature reserves. Biodiversity would be put under further pressure. In addition, in the context of climate change, more cultivation areas are not an option.
  • In Addition: Putting energy, labor and raw materials into cultivation with little or no yield is not resource-efficient. Crop losses mean lower incomes for farmers and higher consumer prices, are unecological and are a burden on the climate.

By 2050, the world's population will grow to almost 10 billion people. This means: Demand for food is up 50 percent compared to 2013. This is what the UN Food Organization FAO says. Up to 81 percent more space would be needed to produce enough food from 100 percent biological production. This was calculated by the Research Institute for Biological Agriculture (Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, FiBL). In addition, fluctuations in yields in organic farming have a greater impact due to lower productivity. The yield stability of organic agriculture is lower. This has implications for food security.

Large yield losses

The reason for the higher land consumption in organic agriculture is the lower yields. Greenpeace assumes in the «course book for the turn to agriculture 2050" that the yields in agriculture in Germany would fall by an average of 40 percent if the entire conversion to organic farming was completed. In the case of wheat – Switzerland's most commonly grown crop – the decrease in yield is almost 60 percent. In 2013, in a study commissioned by Agrar, an Industrial Association, agricultural scientists at the Humboldt University in Berlin and agripol calculated that in Germany, if the country fully switched to organic farming, 12.1 million tons less wheat would be produced per year. This corresponds to the amount needed, per year, to feed 184 million people.

Blindspot article

Large-scale sustainable food production and healthy eating are complex topics. They need to be viewed from different perspectives. Yet unpopular facts are all too often given short shrift in the public discussion. We illuminate the topics that usually remain in the shadows. This makes it possible for people with conflicting views to engage in a dialogue.

Related articles

Biotechnology as a Tool for Nature Conservation
Knowledge

Biotechnology as a Tool for Nature Conservation

New genomic technologies can help save endangered species – from the chestnut tree to the northern white rhino.

The Poison and the Dose
Knowledge

The Poison and the Dose

The debate about threshold values for chemical residues in water and food is often shaped by misunderstandings and emotions. Few topics show as clearly how far perception and science can drift apart. But what do limit values really mean? In autumn 2025, the Agricultural Policy Podcast and swiss-food.ch will explore our relationship with limits and risk in a five-part series. The highlight will be a live podcast recording on November 5 at Bogen F in Zurich.

‘No genetic engineering’ is simply not an option!
Knowledge

‘No genetic engineering’ is simply not an option!

For years, politicians and environmental organisations have been stirring up unnecessary fears about a technology that has been helping to conserve resources and protect the environment for decades, while improving the quality and tolerability of food and cosmetics. It is time to put an end to this consumer deception.

«The protection of cultures is no longer guaranteed»
Knowledge

«The protection of cultures is no longer guaranteed»

Swiss agriculture is in a tight spot when it comes to crop protection. At the Swiss-Food Talk on July 1, 2025, three producer representatives described how bans, the lack of alternatives, and lengthy approval procedures are putting pressure on their crops.

More contributions from Knowledge