The Profitability of Alternative Cropping Systems: A Review of the Literature

The results of studies of the profitability of alternative cropping systems (Organic, Reduced Input, Ridge Till, and No-Till) relative to that of conventional systems are compared and analyzed across time, location, study type, and crop type. The information collected allowed 673 separate production cost and profitability comparisons to be made; this included 206 direct comparisons of Organic to Conventional, 195 comparisons of Reduced Input to Conventional, 74 comparisons of Ridge Till to Conventional, and 198 comparisons of No-Till to Conventional. Study type (farm vs. research experiment station) plays a major role in the economic comparison of all alternative cropping systems. Time period also seemed to play a role, as Reduced Input and Organic production systems compare less favorably with their Conventional counterparts in recent (1986–1999) studies relative to studies conducted prior to 1985. The largest determinant was found to be the crop type, as some crops, such as eggplant, seemed to do well only with Conventional production while others, such as citrus fruits, did much better organically.