Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming

Controversy has long surrounded the question of nutritional differences between crops grown organically or using now-conventional methods, with studies dating back to the 1940s showing that farming methods can affect the nutrient density of crops. More recent studies have shown how reliance on tilla...

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Autores principales:	David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:	soil health organic conventional nutrient-density farming Nutrition. Foods and food supply TX341-641 Food processing and manufacture TP368-456
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/55a862a794f3455f90a688d9f087019b
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:55a862a794f3455f90a688d9f087019b
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:55a862a794f3455f90a688d9f087019b2021-11-04T08:49:12ZSoil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming2571-581X10.3389/fsufs.2021.699147https://doaj.org/article/55a862a794f3455f90a688d9f087019b2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.699147/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/2571-581XControversy has long surrounded the question of nutritional differences between crops grown organically or using now-conventional methods, with studies dating back to the 1940s showing that farming methods can affect the nutrient density of crops. More recent studies have shown how reliance on tillage and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers influence soil life, and thereby soil health, in ways that can reduce mineral micronutrient uptake by and phytochemical production in crops. While organic farming tends to enhance soil health and conventional practices degrade it, relying on tillage for weed control on both organic and conventional farms degrades soil organic matter and can disrupt soil life in ways that reduce crop mineral uptake and phytochemical production. Conversely, microbial inoculants and compost and mulch that build soil organic matter can increase crop micronutrient and phytochemical content on both conventional and organic farms. Hence, agronomic effects on nutritional profiles do not fall out simply along the conventional vs. organic distinction, making the effects of farming practices on soil health a better lens for assessing their influence on nutrient density. A review of previous studies and meta-studies finds little evidence for significant differences in crop macronutrient levels between organic and conventional farming practices, as well as substantial evidence for the influence of different cultivars and farming practices on micronutrient concentrations. More consistent differences between organic and conventional crops include that conventional crops contain greater pesticide levels, whereas organically grown crops contain higher levels of phytochemicals shown to exhibit health-protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, part of the long-running controversy over nutritional differences between organic and conventional crops appears to arise from different definitions of what constitutes a nutrient—the conventional definition of dietary constituents necessary for growth and survival, or a broader one that also encompasses compounds beneficial for maintenance of health and prevention of chronic disease. For assessing the effects of farming practices on nutrient density soil health adds a much needed dimension—the provisioning of micronutrients and phytochemicals that support human health.David R. MontgomeryAnne BikléFrontiers Media S.A.articlesoil healthorganicconventionalnutrient-densityfarmingNutrition. Foods and food supplyTX341-641Food processing and manufactureTP368-456ENFrontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Vol 5 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	soil health organic conventional nutrient-density farming Nutrition. Foods and food supply TX341-641 Food processing and manufacture TP368-456
spellingShingle	soil health organic conventional nutrient-density farming Nutrition. Foods and food supply TX341-641 Food processing and manufacture TP368-456 David R. Montgomery Anne Biklé Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
description	Controversy has long surrounded the question of nutritional differences between crops grown organically or using now-conventional methods, with studies dating back to the 1940s showing that farming methods can affect the nutrient density of crops. More recent studies have shown how reliance on tillage and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers influence soil life, and thereby soil health, in ways that can reduce mineral micronutrient uptake by and phytochemical production in crops. While organic farming tends to enhance soil health and conventional practices degrade it, relying on tillage for weed control on both organic and conventional farms degrades soil organic matter and can disrupt soil life in ways that reduce crop mineral uptake and phytochemical production. Conversely, microbial inoculants and compost and mulch that build soil organic matter can increase crop micronutrient and phytochemical content on both conventional and organic farms. Hence, agronomic effects on nutritional profiles do not fall out simply along the conventional vs. organic distinction, making the effects of farming practices on soil health a better lens for assessing their influence on nutrient density. A review of previous studies and meta-studies finds little evidence for significant differences in crop macronutrient levels between organic and conventional farming practices, as well as substantial evidence for the influence of different cultivars and farming practices on micronutrient concentrations. More consistent differences between organic and conventional crops include that conventional crops contain greater pesticide levels, whereas organically grown crops contain higher levels of phytochemicals shown to exhibit health-protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, part of the long-running controversy over nutritional differences between organic and conventional crops appears to arise from different definitions of what constitutes a nutrient—the conventional definition of dietary constituents necessary for growth and survival, or a broader one that also encompasses compounds beneficial for maintenance of health and prevention of chronic disease. For assessing the effects of farming practices on nutrient density soil health adds a much needed dimension—the provisioning of micronutrients and phytochemicals that support human health.
format	article
author	David R. Montgomery Anne Biklé
author_facet	David R. Montgomery Anne Biklé
author_sort	David R. Montgomery
title	Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
title_short	Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
title_full	Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
title_fullStr	Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
title_full_unstemmed	Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming
title_sort	soil health and nutrient density: beyond organic vs. conventional farming
publisher	Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/55a862a794f3455f90a688d9f087019b
work_keys_str_mv	AT davidrmontgomery soilhealthandnutrientdensitybeyondorganicvsconventionalfarming AT annebikle soilhealthandnutrientdensitybeyondorganicvsconventionalfarming
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Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming

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