Abstract
The threats of climate change have compelled humans to consider the environmental impact of their decisions, including those relating to agricultural practices. Organic agriculture is believed to be a mitigating factor when it comes to climate change. This paper explores the perceptions of organic farmers regarding the benefits of organic agriculture, from a financial and non-financial perspective. It also highlights the trade-off between the perceived non-financial and financial benefits of organic agriculture. A convenience sample of 26 farmers was obtained. The utility of a convenience sample was necessary due to the unavailability of a complete database of organic farms in South Africa. Results indicated that the perceived non-financial benefits of organic agriculture were considered to be the most important consideration for the decision to farm organically. The results confirmed and augmented those found by other authors, namely that the environmental benefits of organic agriculture were considered to be very important to organic farmers.
Highlights
The threats of climate change have become too serious to ignore
This paper aimed to identify the perceived benefits that organic agriculture has to offer from the farmer’s perspective, as well as to determine whether the non-financial benefits outweigh the financial benefits when the decision to farm organically is made
Specific questions were included in the questionnaire to identify these perceived financial and non-financial benefits and their importance to the farmer
Summary
The threats of climate change have become too serious to ignore It has become necessary for humans to consider the environmental impact of their decisions, including those relating to agricultural practices. Organic agriculture is considered to be a mechanism to mitigate climate change: it reduces greenhouse gases, because no chemical nitrogen fertilisers are used; it stores carbon in soil and plant biomass by building organic matter; it encourages agro-forestry and inhibits the clearance of primary ecosystems; and it minimises energy consumption by eliminating the energy required to manufacture synthetic fertilisers and by using internal farm inputs (IFOAM, 2007). Organic agriculture is a mitigating factor in terms of climate change but has the additional benefit of contributing to human health (IFOAM, 2006). The environmental benefits of organic agriculture include the mitigation of climate change; preservation and improvement of soil fertility; increased levels. Soil carbon sequestration is responsible for most of the mitigation potential (Smith et al, 2007) and plays a role in reducing erosion and minimising the impact on native ecosystems (LaSalle & Hepperly, 2008)
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