Summary
This review by Reganold and Wachter, published in Nature Plants in 2016, provides a comprehensive synthesis of the scientific evidence on organic agriculture across four sustainability pillars: productivity, environmental health, economic returns, and social wellbeing. The authors conclude that whilst organic systems typically yield less than conventional systems, they offer meaningful advantages in environmental performance, biodiversity, and in some cases economic returns. The paper is widely cited as an authoritative overview of the state of evidence on organic farming at a global scale.
UK applicability
Whilst the review draws on global evidence rather than UK-specific studies, its findings are broadly applicable to UK policy debates around sustainable land use, agri-environment schemes, and the transition to nature-friendly farming under the post-CAP agricultural policy framework.
Key measures
Crop yields; biodiversity indicators; soil health metrics; farm profitability; environmental impact measures; food security considerations
Outcomes reported
The paper examines organic agriculture across four pillars: productivity, environmental impact, economic viability, and social wellbeing. It synthesises evidence on how organic systems perform relative to conventional agriculture across these dimensions.
Topic tags
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