ORGANIC FARMING PRACTICES AND YIELD STABILITY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

The shift to sustainable agriculture in the global economy has increased the number of studies on the connection between organic farming activities and yield stability. Although the advantages of using organic systems are well known to be environmentally friendly, there is still controversy on whether they can achieve consistent productivity in the various agroecological settings. This is a systematic literature review that summarizes the empirical studies of 2015-2025 peer-reviewed articles to assess the effects of the practices of organic farming in areas of yield stability. We have made thorough searches in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and ScienceDirect databases, following the PRISMA guidelines of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, finding 1,247 unique records. There were 47 studies that qualified inclusion in the qualitative synthesis after the elimination of duplicates and systematic screening. The review shows that organic systems have similar yield stability to conventional agriculture in favorable management conditions, especially in the situations when diversification of cropping schemes and soil health maximization are enforced. Nevertheless, such stability in the yield of organic systems is susceptible to severe weather conditions and pest infestation in periods of conversion. Some of the important processes that mediate stability are the increased soil organic matter, a working biodiversity, and adaptive management practices. The analysis finds a major geographical bias to temperate geographies and a need to conduct further studies in tropical agroecosystems. The results aid in the development of evidence-based policies that promote sustainable agricultural transformations in addition to exposing the gaps in the research that need immediate remedy.