A Swedish study published in open access science journal PLoS ONE has revealed that organic farming produces healthier strawberries than conventional methods. The study, Organic Farming Improves Pollination Success in Strawberries, showed organic farms produce strawberries with fewer malformations and a higher proportion of fully pollinated berries relative to conventional farms.

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The study was conducted by researchers at Lund University, Sweden who found that the pollination success increased greatly with organic farming. Georg Andersson, the study’s lead researcher, speculated that this effect may be due to an increase in the abundance and diversity of insect pollinators on organic systems.

The improvements in organic systems become apparent within two to four years of the conversion, according to the Lund team. Dr Andersson said the results led him to believe "That organic farming could enhance the pollination service in agricultural landscapes.

He continued, “This is important for developing a sustainable agriculture. The method made it possible to measure the pollination independent of landscape composition, soil-type and other factors that can affect pollination success."

Speaking at the Oxford Real Farming conference in January, eminent food policy professor and former hill farmer Tim Lang suggested that more horticulture, including fruit and vegetable production and more diverse flowering plant production is needed to ensure food security and resilience in UK agriculture.

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