When I went to Organic Gardening magazine from the Allentown, Pennsylvania, newspaper, I was still in investigative mode. The magazine was great at telling people how to compost and grow tomatoes, but not much had been done to see whether there was a firm scientific base under the organic method. Over the next 10 years, I read books and research papers on soil science, entomology, molecular biology, mycology, ecology, plant pathogens, and other agricultural and horticultural sciences and discovered, to my surprise, that there was a ton of information that supported the basic tenets of the organic method—and even that expanded them to unforeseen areas. I was never at a loss for subjects for the articles I wrote.
Such scientific research continues today and bears on organic agriculture. The more mainstream organic becomes, the more research is underway. Here are just three from among dozens and dozens of studies I unearthed in a recent survey of ongoing organic research at large universities.
At Michigan State, a Department of Entomology study carries the title, “Safeguarding the Supply of Specialty Crops for Consumers.” The goal of the project is to reduce the need for synthetic chemicals in the production of fruit, dry beans, and sugar beets. Specifically, “we will concentrate on reduced chemical input, good farming practices, and alternative pest control methods.”
At Cornell University, a study entitled, “Organic Farm and Food Systems Research” is underway to develop certifiable organic strategies for controlling weeds and pests in farm crops.
At North Carolina State, horticultural researchers are studying “Farming System Sustainability and Research Support for Organic Agriculture Production.” The goal is to determine the optimal strategy economically and biologically for making the transition from conventional to organic production.
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