Section 4
What the literature actually found
Nutrition, yield and environmental outcomes.
- What the studies actually sayMeta-analyses report differences in some secondary metabolites and in pesticide residues, and much smaller differences in the macronutrients people assume.
- The gap, and where it is largestOrganic yields are generally lower, with the gap varying widely by crop and by system, and the comparison is contested on methodology.
- Per hectare against per tonneEnvironmental advantages measured per hectare often shrink or reverse when measured per tonne of output, which is why the two framings give different answers.
The other sections