The role of organic agriculture in addressing global climate change

Issue № 1, 2018, article № 8, pages 62-78

Section: Economics of agribusiness sectors

Language: Russian

Original language title: РОЛЬ ОРГАНИЧЕСКОГО СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА В РЕШЕНИИ ПРОБЛЕМ ГЛОБАЛЬНЫХ КЛИМАТИЧЕСКИХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ

Keywords: ORGANIC AGRICULTURE, REGENERATIVE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE, ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL AREA, CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, GREENHOUSE GASES, EMISSIONS, LAND-USE SYSTEM, MINERAL FERTILIZERS, ORGANIC FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, CONVENTIONAL ENERGIES, ENERGY INPUTS, RENEWABLES, BIODIESEL, BIOFUEL, ENERGY SAVINGS, THE INTENSITY OF THE EMISSIONS, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ADAPTATION, CROP ROTATION, WEATHER ANOMALIES, DROUGHTS

Abstract: Current global climate change influences all sectors of economy but agriculture exhibits the most complicated interrelations. On the one hand agroecosystems are highly sensible to more frequent weather anomalies and on the other hand agriculture itself is a contributor to climate change through the emissions of greenhouse gages, changes in land-use systems etc. The importance of various sources of greenhouse gases emissions associated with agricultural activity is revealed. Agriculture is not a major source of man made atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases in absolute terms however specific parameters of their emissions significantly outweigh corresponding average performance of the world economy. Today the problems dealt with climate change due to agricultural activity could be solved by reducing greenhouse gases emissions and adjusting agrarian sector to negative implications of climate change. The opportunities for lowering the emissions of greenhouse gases owing to the development of organic technologies in livestock production, rice growing, rational use of organic fertilizers and more are investigated. Special focus is on high adaptive capacities of organic agriculture against weather anomalies, droughts in particular. At the end of the paper it is pointed out that for Russia the most promising is the investigation of the adaptive capability of organic agriculture to global climate change.

Authors: Taran Vasilii Viktorovich, Avarskii Nabi Dalgatovich, Sokolova ZHanna Evgenevna