Using the organic system plan template as a policy lever for improving biodiversity on US organic farms

In the USA, conservation and monitoring of biodiversity on organic farms have been poorly enforced, leading to the suggestion of explicitly addressing biodiversity through the organic system plan. We use primary data to examine the efficacy of this approach. We find that that farmers reporting using no-till farming, cover crops, and buffer strips observed improved or maintained levels of pollinator and wild animal biodiversity on their farms. Those using biological pest management observed higher or constant levels of pollinators on their farms. Inclusion of questions about biodiversity on the certifier-provided template, used to guide development of the organic system plan, was determined to be positively and significantly related to the predicted probability of observing higher or constant levels of pollinator and wild animal biodiversity on their farms.