Comparing the effect of different agricultural land-use systems on biodiversity

This article develops a calculation method to compare the total effect of different agricultural land-use systems on biodiversity. The results of the calculations offer a clear indication of which land-use system provides the highest biodiversity possible to produce a desired quantity of agricultural output. Furthermore, the method can be used to compare all types of farming systems. To give a numerical example, the method is used here to compare the data currently available for conventional agriculture and organic agriculture. Given that the currently available data lack information regarding second moments, a statistical test is not possible. Under this caveat, the results indicate that conventional agriculture allows for more biodiversity in the production of a desired quantity of agricultural goods because its higher productivity helps to spare land, which can then be used as a natural habitat.