PULLMAN, Wash.—A panel of scientists at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) affirmed the fact that organic farming delivers healthier and more nutritious foods as well as richer soil, but also said organic farmers need better tools to maximize their efforts.
During the symposium titled “Living Soil, Food Quality, and the Future of Food” the panel presented six encouraging conclusions on the impacts of organic farming on soil quality and the nutritional content of food.
“The work we reviewed over the last decade points directly to two major scientific challenges,” said Dr. Preston Andrews of Washington State University. “First, we need to understand more fully how soil biological communities’ process nutrients and communicate to plant roots in order to promote improved quality in organically grown crops. Second, we need better tools to help organic farmers fine-tune their production systems in order to maximize the soil and nutritional quality benefits of organic farming.”
