Looking to the future, I see no-till and organic (biological) farming technologies as the most promising. But some scientists who support organic farming often try to oppose biological no-till technology. For some reason, they choose neither traditional nor intensive farming, but zero-till farming as the object of criticism (or comparison).
Although I don’t quite understand why they are “attacking” no-till.
Obviously, the common feature of these systems is the desire to be closer to nature, to natural processes in growing crops.
And in many respects, no-till technology has advanced even further than biological technology. For example:
1. Soil cultivation.
If we talk about soil conservation and fertility, it is undoubtedly higher in zero-till technology, because it does not involve any type of tillage, which is known to not add to soil fertility. In addition, any loosening of the soil, even if it is minimal, is a path to wind and water erosion. And in the natural world, no one loosens the soil.
As for the labor intensity of this process, no comments are needed at all.
2. Weed control.
A primitive explanation of zero-till technology is to replace weed control by loosening the soil, which is inherent in “organic” farming, with chemicals. However, it is important to know that herbicides are only one of the tools of the protection system, which is best used as a complement to other weed control methods. And with the development of the technology, this tool is needed less and less.
No-till technology is more dependent on crop rotation, the creation of a mulching layer on the soil surface, and crop competition.
3. Fertilizers.
Organic farming completely avoids mineral fertilizers.
There is, of course, an obvious reserve for growth in zero-emission technology, if we think not only about yields, but also about product quality and compliance with consumer requirements. And people’s desire to consume healthy food will only grow in the future.
4. Economy.
Having abandoned chemical fertilizers and herbicides, which account for the lion’s share of costs in growing crops, it is unclear why “organics” claim to have a higher cost of their products, since their cost is supposed to be lower than other technologies (traditional, minimal, zero). Could this be due to the higher labor intensity of this technology? Or does the high cost of energy affect the economic efficiency of agrotechnical methods and make growing organic products unprofitable?
And whether the consumer is willing to pay a higher price for such products is a question. And focusing only on people with high incomes is not a super-task for organic farming. Making biological technology more economically attractive for the producer and environmentally friendly products more affordable for the consumer is a worthy task for the future.
Economics is the main trump card of zero-tolerance technology, although the constant rise in prices for fertilizers and crop protection products forces us to reduce the use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers, which will also further reduce the cost of growing crops.
I don’t think we should contrast these two farming technologies. They both have strengths and weaknesses that can be greatly enhanced by further convergence.
Organic farming and no-till are doomed to move towards each other.
Organic farming needs to improve its economic attractiveness, reduce labor intensity, and take better care of the land.
No-till will steadily move towards reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by accumulating a mulching layer on the soil surface and implementing optimal crop rotations. Farmers who have been using no-till for a long time have seen a decrease in the use of herbicides and fertilizers over time. And the use of green manure crops may play a decisive role in this process. Green manure, even without being embedded in the soil (which is typical of organic farming), can be useful not only as fertilizers but also as an effective means of weed control and soil compaction.
In addition, producing healthy, environmentally friendly food and preserving soil fertility can be a very worthy goal for any technology.
An effective solution to this problem in real economic conditions is possible through the rational use of the advantages of no-till and organic farming.