Andrew Page wonders whether a move to organic farming would be good for biodiversity overall (30 October, p 30). He is concerned that while the evidence shows that organically farmed land supports more wildlife than intensively farmed land, the yields are lower. The answer must nevertheless be yes.
The wildlife group shown by the research to be more abundant on organically farmed land is "farmland wildlife", which has suffered severe declines. These species evolved alongside agriculture in Europe and depend on many key aspects of traditional and organic systems which have been largely abandoned by intensive farming. These include mixed crop and livestock enterprises, not using agrochemicals, more supportive habitats such as field margins and hedgerows, and relatively low livestock grazing levels.
It would be very expensive to manage land artificially in this way just for wildlife, and only a limited area would be available. Wildlife-friendly farming on all ...
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