Organic agriculture emits much less greenhouse gases than conventional agriculture. It uses natural fertilizers that release less nitrous oxide than chemical fertilizers. This gas has a warming effect 300 times more powerful than CO2. Moreover, the production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is very energy consuming. By not using these chemicals, organic farming saves a lot of energy and therefore reduces CO2 emissions. Organically grown soils can even extract CO2 from the atmosphere and fix it as carbon in the soil. These natural soils also have the ability to maintain a high natural moisture content, acting like a sponge. Their need for water is therefore much reduced compared to intensively cultivated soils, which impoverish the soil and require more and more watering and irrigation.
