A new study using data from the Agricultural Health Study and published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine examined the association between pesticide exposure and thyroid function in agricultural pesticide applicators. The study utilized pesticide use data from 679 men enrolled in the study between 1993 and 1997. Between 2010 and 2013, researchers collected… Read More ›

A new study published in the journal Ecological Economics has found that certified organic agriculture presents a sustainable livelihood strategy for smallholder farmers in China.  Using surveys, researchers collected data from smallholder farmers (less than 1 hectare of land) and medium-scale farmers (greater than 1 hectare of land) in Wanzai, Jiangxi Province, China. They found… Read More ›

A new study published in theInternational Journal of Current Microbiology and AppliedScienceshas found that organic farming is linked to greater soil health and higher levels of micronutrients than conventional farming.  Researchers sampled soil from organic and conventional farms in 11 districts of Haryana, India.  Organically farmed soils had significantly higher levels of zinc (44% higher… Read More ›

It is understood that organic farming leads to substantial growth and improvement of soil microbial communities. However, few studies have investigated whether the choice of cover crop species affects that change. A new study published in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment sought to understand how cover crop choice in organic and non-organically managed soils… Read More ›

Neonicotinoid pesticides and glyphosate are widely used on crops, and their residues are often  found together on crops. Neonicotinoids have been widely implicated in declines in bee health. Even though it is an herbicide, glyphosate has also been linked to negative health effects in honeybees. A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology… Read More ›