Eco-functional intensification of organic farming

Publication date: 29/11/2018
Extent: 18 pages

Contributions by: Thomas F. Döring, University of Bonn, Germany

Chapter synopsis: Organic farming aims to increase productivity while maintaining a positive impact on biodiversity and using minimal resources. An urgent question of global importance is how organic agricultural systems can be improved with regard to the various functions of producing food, saving biodiversity and reducing resource use – in short, how organic farming can increase its multifunctional performance. This chapter offers a discussion of opportunities for and measures of eco-functional intensification (EFI) in organic farming, including material and energy flows, ecological regulation and technical developments. The chapter also summarizes and discusses general challenges of EFI.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2017.0029.17