Organic Farming Leads Evidence Base on Biodiversity and Soil Health

Organic farming has shown the strongest evidence of delivering Defra’s environmental goals in a major government-backed review.

The review, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and carried out by the Organic Research Centre, found that organic systems performed consistently well across key indicators including biodiversity, soil health and reduced chemical use.

It was based on more than 300 peer-reviewed studies, alongside farm-level data and assessments of environmental farm assurance standards.

The study examined how organic farming and other assurance schemes contribute to the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) goals.

It found that organic farming currently had the strongest evidence base for delivering those goals in practice.

However, the review did not suggest organic systems delivered stronger outcomes in every category, and noted that some benefits depended on context, implementation and farm system design.