KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Can we feed a growing world and sustain the planet?
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Increasing population and consumption are placing
unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural
resources across the planet. Today, approximately a
billion people are chronically malnourished while our
agricultural systems are concurrently degrading land,
water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet
the world’s future food security and sustainability needs,
food production must grow substantially, while at the same
time agriculture’s environmental footprint must shrink
dramatically.
This paper outlines a framework for potential solutions to
this dilemma, showing that tremendous progress could be made by halting
agricultural expansion (especially into tropical forests), closing ‘yield gaps’ on
underperforming lands, increasing cropping efficiency (especially in terms of
water and nutrient use), shifting diets and reducing waste. Together, these
strategies could help us double food production while greatly reducing the
environmental impacts of agriculture.