Assessing Two Decades of Organic Farming: Effects on Soil Heavy Metal Concentrations and Biodiversity for Sustainable Management

Yizhi Chen, Jianning Guo, Hanyue Zhao, Guangyu Qu, Siqi Han and Caide Huang ()
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Yizhi Chen: International Curriculum Centre, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Jianning Guo: International Curriculum Centre, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Hanyue Zhao: International Curriculum Centre, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
Guangyu Qu: School of Environmental, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Siqi Han: School of Environmental, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Caide Huang: School of Environmental, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Organic farming is widely recognized as a promising practice for sustainable agriculture, yet its long-term ecological impacts remain insufficiently investigated. In this study, we evaluated these impacts by comparing heavy metal concentrations, soil invertebrate communities, and microbial profiles between long-term organic and conventional farming systems. A comparative analysis was conducted on 24 plot soils from two paired organic and conventional farm systems in Beijing, each managed continuously for over 20 years. Our results revealed that soils under organic management consistently contained 10.8% to 73.7% lower heavy metals, along with reduced geo-accumulation indices ( I geo , a standardized metric for soil contamination assessment), indicating decreased contamination risks. In terms of soil fauna, while conventional soils showed higher Collembola abundance, organic farming significantly enhanced Collembola richness and diversity by 20.6% to 55.0%. Microbial sequencing likewise revealed enhanced richness and diversity of bacteria and fungi in organic soils. These microbial communities also displayed shifts in dominant taxa and more stable co-occurrence networks under organic management. Principal component analysis and Mantel tests identified soil pH and nutrients as key drivers of soil biodiversity, while heavy metals also imposed negative influences. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that long-term organic farming not only mitigates environmental risks associated with soil contaminants but also promotes belowground ecological integrity by supporting biodiversity of soil fauna and microbiota. This study highlights the ecological significance of sustained organic practices and provides critical insights for advancing sustainable agricultural developments.

Keywords: organic agriculture; heavy metal; soil invertebrates; microorganism; ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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