Organic agriculture sequesters carbon by promoting soil health. Organic standards require farming techniques that improve soil health. Cover cropping, crop rotation, organic soil amendments and conservation tillage benefit soil health. These practices increase soil health and help farms store more carbon in the soil than other farming methods.5
Organic protects and enhances biodiversity and beneficial organisms.Research shows organic production increases beneficial insect biodiversity without increasing pest insect diversity.6 Promoting soil health increases soil biodiversity - sequestered carbon provides the foundation for beneficial microorganisms in the soil food web vital to decomposition and nutrient cycling.
Organic increases resilience. High organic matter in the soil supports healthy crops. Healthy crops are less susceptible to drought and heat stress and foster diversity of organisms vital to soil health. Organically managed soils tend to have higher water-holding capacity, porosity and aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils, leading to yield advantages in extreme weather events, like droughts, record high temps and/or flooding.7
