Organic yields average 80% of conventional (#journal)

The crop yield gap between organic and conventional agriculture

A key issue in the debate on the contribution of organic agriculture to the future of world agriculture is whether it can produce sufficient food to feed the world. This article analyzes 362 published organic–conventional comparative crop yields. Organic yields of individual crops averaged 80% of conventional yields, but variation was substantial (standard deviation 21%), with significant difference between crop groups and regions. The authors  suggest reasons for the gap and its high level of variation.