Energy efficiency in farming systems: organic and conventional agriculture

D. Pimentel, G. Berardi and S. Fast

Abstract
An assessment was made of the energy efficiency, yield performance, and labor requirements for the production of corn, wheat, potatoes, and apples using organic (without synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides) and conventional farming technologies.

Organic corn and wheat production was 29–70% more energy efficient than conventional production. However, conventional potato and apple production was 7–93% more energy efficient than organic production. For all four crops, the labor input per unit of yield was higher for organic systems compared with conventional production.


Source
Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (1983) 9: 359-372


Author Locations and Affiliations
Department of Entomology and Section of Ecology and Systematics, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A.


Posted April 2010