2002/05/31 by P. Maeder, Andreas Fließbach, David Dubois +3 · 3 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · #Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics #Land Use and Ecosystem Services #Sustainable Agricultural Systems Analysis #Organic farming #Agroecosystem #Biodiversity #Agriculture #Soil fertility #Environmental science #Agroforestry #Soil biodiversity #Agronomy #Crop #Intensive farming #Fertilizer #Natural farming #Ecological farming #Biology #Ecology #Soil science #Soil water
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1071148
openalex publication_date 2002/05/31 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
An understanding of agroecosystems is key to determining effective farming systems. Here we report results from a 21-year study of agronomic and ecological performance of biodynamic, bioorganic, and conventional farming systems in Central Europe. We found crop yields to be 20% lower in the organic systems, although input of fertilizer and energy was reduced by 34 to 53% and pesticide input by 97%. Enhanced soil fertility and higher biodiversity found in organic plots may render these systems less dependent on external inputs.