Leistungen des ökologischen Landbaus für Umwelt und Gesellschaft. 2. überarbeitete und ergänzte Auflage

Organic farming is considered to be a sustainable land use system and is therefore specifically supported by policy. Although the interactions between organic farming and the resulting socially relevant environmental benefits have received increasingly widespread recognition in science and politics, the potential of organic farming to solve the environmental and resource challenges of our time are still assessed differently. Against this background, the aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of scientific studies on public goods provided by organic farming in the following areas: water protection, soil fertility, biodiversity, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, resource efficiency, and animal welfare. As part of a literature review, a total of 528 studies with 2,816 pairs (organic vs. conventional farming) were selected for the analysis. These studies had to meet the following criteria: (a) publication period: January 1990 to March 2018; (b) region: temperate climates; (c) study design: at least one organic/conventional pair, and (d) language: studies in German or English. The results of the comparisons between organic and conventional farming were evaluated using descriptive statistics (min, max, mean and median values) and graphically illustrated using box plot diagrams. In addition, the results of the organic variant of the individual pairs were classified on the basis of quantitative criteria with regard to their relative characteristics compared to the conventional variant (Öko +, Öko =, Öko ‐). The evaluation of the scientific literature found that, across all indicators for the fields of environmental protection and resource conservation, organic management showed advantages over conventional management in 58 % of the pairs analysed. No differences were found for 28 %, and in 14 % of the comparison pairs, the conventional management was more advantageous. No clear picture was drawn regarding animal welfare. No substantial differences were found between organic and conventional livestock across all animal species and production forms in 46 % of the comparison pairs. Organic management showed advantages in 35 % of the pairs, whereas conventional management performed better in 19 % of the pairs. However, very few studies have been found considering animal welfare in a comprehensive sense...