Energy Use and Economic Evaluation Under Conservation and Organic Farming

Abstract

Organic farming is one of the approaches that can contribute to food and nutritional safety in sustainable agriculture. Organic farming has been reported to be more efficient and effective in lessening of greenhouse gases emissions, soil and water pollution, and also threat of human health as compared to conventional farming production system. Hence the farm level analysis of conventional and organic farming is most required to prompt the farmers and policymakers to prefer the most economical viable farming practices. This chapter aims at upgrading the current state of knowledge on organic-conventional debate and identifying the most efficient system in energy consumption and economic aspect. It is reasonable to assume that organic agriculture uses less energy than conventional methods because it is more comprehensive and thus more sustainable. However, a growing body of literature has been presenting some differences in this regard, providing some illumination of debates. Also, it’s not a new phenomenon to have discussions about the financial implications of buying organic food. Therefore, this chapter compares and contrasts conventional and organic systems in terms of energy use and cost. The purpose of this chapter is to improve our understanding of the organic vs. conventional argument and to determine which system is more cost-effective and energy-efficient. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.